


Mephibosheth

by Seeking7



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: And so is Gaster, Asriel Needs A Hug, Baby Undyne!, Baby everyone haha ;), Canon-Typical Violence, Chara is a Gaster fanboy, Chara is a jerk, Chara is a manipulative genius, Fluff and Angst, Male Chara (Undertale), Pre-Canon, Scientist Sans (Undertale), Slice of Life, Sort of an origin story but not really?, no but chara actually is a genius hes everything I always wanted to be when I was 11
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 45,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23804797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7/pseuds/Seeking7
Summary: The Fallen Human and Prince of the Underground had a curious alliance. Nobody questioned it; Asriel had finally found a friend, and the King and Queen were overjoyed with their quiet, careful human boy. But a friendship built on lies, manipulation, and fear is inherently precarious, and Asriel is growing desperate to keep it alive.**On hiatus, but not abandoned**
Relationships: Asgore Dreemurr/Toriel
Comments: 40
Kudos: 13





	1. The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome! Glad to have you here. This baby's kicking off with a shorter chapter just to give you an idea of what the story and writing style is going to be like, so you can decide if it's something you want to read. Enjoy! Shout out to Kaguya 2.0 on FFN for pointing out some of the SPaG mistakes I had in here! <3

He was falling.

Defeat is a mindset, he reminded himself.

Chara wasn't defeated.

He'd made an...unsavory decision, yes.

But not out of weakness.

So his  conscience  was clear.

The sky tumbled upwards, and Chara tried not to scream as gravity forgot him.

»»-««

Asriel had always found a peculiar solace in the Ruins. Maybe it was the mysterious music floating through the halls, or the friendly burbling noises the Moldsmals made when he came by, or the way the crimson leaves crinkled cheerfully under his feet.

Or maybe it was because there was nobody around to be disappointed in him.

He started walking a little faster, trying to leave the bad thoughts behind. He told himself that he liked the kids in New Home and that the kids in New Home liked him. Mom was proud of him. Dad was proud of him. The scientists always told him he was a bright boy, that he would one day make a great king. He ordered himself to stop stressing - there was nothing to be fretting about in the first place! How often was it that Mom would let him come all the way to the Ruins, by himself, to just enjoy the day? He shook his head subconsciously, cringing as toxic thoughts crept under his fur.

The prince hardly had the presence of mind to stifle a bleat when a Froggit sidled up to him.

"(Prince Asriel? What are you doing here?)" The Froggit questioned the flustered prince with a curious air of urgency.

"Just visiting." It came out much calmer than he'd expected. Asriel folded his paws behind his back and puffed his chest in imitation of his father. He hoped he looked a little more prince-like that way. "How are you today, Mr. Froggit?"

The froggit blushed deeply and gave the prince what was probably supposed to be a smile. That was another thing his dad did, make everyone feel important by calling them sir or ma'am or mr. or mrs. Asriel had deliberately picked up the habit.

"(Well, Your Majesty, I'm very glad you came around.)"

Asriel's eyes sparkled.

"Go-lly! Really? Like, actually?"

Silence. The froggit looked away.

Of course. The other monster was just being polite, pretending to care, just like everyone else. The prince blinked quickly and preemptively swiped his sleeve across his nose.

"(Somebody fell.)"

All the bravado Asriel had scraped together dissipated at once.

"Someone's fallen down? Oh gosh! T-that's not good. I'll, uh, I'll go get my dad right away, Mr. Froggit! J-j-just wait here!" The prince turned to leave, fragments of a plan trickling down into his consciousness. From Snowdin he could ask the Riverkid for a ride, and then get someone at the lab to call his dad, wait, maybe he should go to Snowdin Town and let one of the sentries know ab-

"(Your Majesty!)" The froggit shouted after him. The prince stopped running but didn't turn around. "(Your Majesty! It's not a monster.)"

"What? I mean, ugh," Asriel ran an anxious paw through his fur and turned to face the froggit, "pardon me? I don't believe I understand you, Mr. Froggit."

"(Whatever it is, Your Majesty, it fell from the Surface.)"

"The Surface?"

"(Come with me.)"

The froggit was already leaping away toward the darkened stomach of the Ruins, and Asriel found himself running right behind it before his thoughts could totally be collected. Well, at least no monster had fallen. But what exactly could this froggit be talking about? The Surface? Something falling from The Surface? Maybe a plant or big vine of sorts had been knocked over and fallen in. It'd happened before. Perhaps that was all it was, and the monsters mistook it for something more sinister. He prayed that it was so. His offensive magic was still woefully underdeveloped, and the little prince wasn't sure he could defend citizens of the Ruins if something dangerous had actually fallen from Above.

A snort of a breath forced itself from his snout as he bumbled over a set of spikes noticed too late. Only a few HP lost, no big deal. He brushed himself off, wincing as just a bit too much pressure was placed on freshly-bruised flesh, and continued sprinting after the froggit. His claws clicked on the stone floor like some sort of morbid metronome.

It felt as if he was counting down to something.

Asriel smiled in spite of the grim situation. Boy, he should get out more! Being cooped up in the Castle all the time had really done a number on his brain. Really, what's the worst thing that could have fallen from that little sliver of a hole atop the mountain?

»»-««

The Afterlife was extremely dark, extremely quiet, and extremely painful. Chara's eyes refused to open.

He wondered, for a second, if this was Heaven or Hell.

He suspected the latter.

With his head pillowed in his arms, Chara fought the mounting urge to breathe. He already knew his chest was swollen with shattered bones, and trying to fill his lungs with air would bring more pain than relief. With cold indifference, he suspected that his arms and legs were in the same state as his ribs. The pain must be a form of eternal, divine punishment, or perhaps a clever cosmic prank. If he had the strength to, he would have laughed. But even the slightest twisting of his features made his face burn. Chara already knew where the skin was flaking and cracking and bleeding - it was always the same spot on the fullest part of his cheeks. Apparently his eczema had decided to tag along with him to the Afterlife. He couldn't complain, really. At least something had remained constant. Familiar.

Something in the distance ribbited anxiously. Dirt crumbled. Footsteps approached. A barely-audible voice tightroped over the silence.

"It sounds like it came from over here."

The footsteps, soft and halting, grew louder and closer until they were next to Chara's ears. There was an exchange of words and croaks he couldn't understand, the lingering of someone he couldn't see. It took the Fallen Human only a few seconds to realize that the voice and the footsteps most likely belonged to the same person, and a small one, at that.

"Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you?" The little voice queried.

Chara suddenly considered the possibility that he wasn't dead.

"Are you okay?"

The voice trembled but managed to keep a sliver of iron around the syllables, an attempt to communicate kindness and strength at the same time. Well. It was a valiant effort.

There was the shuffling of dirt and cloth and then the sudden weight of a presence next to him. A pair of hands - no, they were much too soft and heavy to be human hands - pressed against his spine.

Chara screamed.

No sound came out.

And then the pain was gone. Healed, in an instant.

It was then that Chara decided that he was definitely still alive.

"Here, get up…" the voice urged.

Chara drew in a massive breath. The air tasted weird. He pulled a leg underneath him and splayed his fingers in the grass to stabilize himself. Acid dripped into his throat. Bangs slid in front of his eyes. The world - green and grey and yellow - filtered through razor-thin brown bars. He tucked the hair behind his ears, trying not to wince as freezing fingers grazed a throbbing forehead. A vertebra popped as his spine straightened.

He was standing. And in front of him, only two or three paces away, stood a humanoid goat child.

Um.  **What** ?

The fur around the goat's mouth crinkled in concern. Deep, quiet eyes flickered from Chara's torn sweater and scuffed boots to pale, frightened face. The goat pressed one of his paws to his chest and held another one out in front of him, tentatively, as if he was afraid to reach out. A silent invitation to do...something? Chara wasn't sure.

The human felt a hot, warm feeling deep in his chest. He pressed a finger over his sternum and forced out a single word.

"Chara."

"Chara, huh?" the goat-thing murmured, "that's a nice name. My name is Asriel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering why I've written Chara as a 'he' instead of 'them,' let me explain! The idea of toxic masculinity is going to be explored through Chara in the later chapters, and I thought making him a young boy trying to prove his manhood could be an interesting way to explain his strange, fickle personality. This isn't an attempt to mock the nonbinary community in any way whatsoever!   
> Aside from that, the following chapters are much more action-packed than this one and (hopefully) explore a series of events you don't have pretty much memorized by now. I'll try to update the story every 2-3 days (considering that I spend 24 hours at home bc Corona, I don't really have much of an excuse not to write). Let me know what you think about Chara and Asriel's characterization. I'm still getting the hang of writing both characters, you know, keeping them as close to whatever we know about their canon selves, so if you see anything that looks OOC let me know!  
> God bless.


	2. The Sweater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! So this chapter has a little more meat than the last one -- but not by much. My focus for this chapter was getting the characterization for Chara and Asriel down while keeping it as close to canon as possible. I have to admit that the pacing for this one is a little bit strange, but I'm planning on reading a few short stories and books of similar style to see how those authors worked with sentence structure and flow. What I'm saying is that I'm (hopefully) going to improve from here! 
> 
> For a better experience, listen to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgAxibDmN_E) song while reading. It was created by the incredible EpicMountainMusic and has the same shy, playful, friendly vibe as the story. Enjoy!

Chara splashed the water onto his face, sighing as the icy liquid soothed his skin. The goat-kid, Asriel, had healed his shattered ribs, life-threatening concussions, snapped ligaments - but not his eczema. He cupped some of the stream water in his hands and tried to douse the dryness on his face again. The relief lasted only for a few seconds. One day, he mused, the two dry splotches on his cheeks would be rubbed raw and establish themselves as a permanent feature on his face.

Fantastic. As if he didn't already look ghoulish enough. Chara grimaced as the water trickled down his neck and into his sweater, dampening the cloth underneath. He sat on his knees and looked down at the lazy stream in front of him. His pale visage stared back quietly, flinching when Asriel's reflection crept in from the right.

Even though he knew the goat kid was now standing right behind him, hearing his sudden tidal wave of anxious bleats startled the human anyway.

"Golly, Mr. Chara! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! But I saw you drinking from the stream and remembered that I didn't even think to offer you a drink, or snack, or, or anything!" Asriel stuffed his paws into the tuft of hair sitting atop his head and screwed his eyes shut. "Boy, aha. You fell from angel knows where, probably haven't eaten or rested in ages, and I end up giving you a tour of the Ruins instead of watching out for you." The goat buried his face in his hands. "I suck at my job."

Chara leaned back on his hands and gave Asriel a half-lidded stare. An earlier bladder-related debacle had spared the goat-child from having to ask the awkward pronoun question (with the side-effect of embarrassing Asriel enough for the both of them). Frankly, the social faux-pas had hardly perturbed Chara - privacy was a luxury who's denial he was familiar with. For some reason, though, the prince's forced formalities and habitual self-shaming had settled on the wrong side of Chara's stomach.

"What do you mean, you suck at your job?" the human muttered.

The Ruins hummed with distant piano music; the room's twin streams gurgled happily. Chara cocked his head to the side, waiting for an answer.

"Well, I should be keeping you safe! I mean, I'm _Asriel_ _Dreemurr,"_ he said with an exaggerated rumble and half-hearted paw flip, "I'm supposed to keep monsters safe! A-and humans! Anyone in the Underground that I can keep safe, I _should._ B-but, I mean, l-l-look at you! I tried to heal you, but your cheeks are all raw, and your hands are bleeding, and you're probably so hungry and thirsty _that you'll dust before we get to the end of the ruins_! _"_ Asriel had been pacing over one of the little wooden bridges in the room and nearly slipped into the stream beneath trying to punctuate the last word with a stomp.

Something in Chara's heart burned. He pushed the feeling aside and got to his feet, intending to express in explicit detail how misplaced Asriel's concerns were.

Chara's weakened body had other plans, it seemed. A sudden feeling of lightheadedness exploded in his temples; he must have stood up too quickly. His legs swayed drunkenly.

"A-aw, jeez! Aw, man!" The goat boy bleated.

Asriel sprinted to his side, threw an arm over Chara's shoulder, and waited anxiously for the human to regain sovereignty over his own body.

"Gosh! That was scary! We really need to get some food in your stomach and sleep in your bones!"

"I'm alright, Asriel."

The goat child started to say something, searching his companion's face for emotional purchase, but the only sound that came out was a sigh. He gave Chara a timid, disbelieving smile.

Froggits croaked, leaves rustled, streams murmured. A Whimsun cried in the distance. Switches clicked and pressure plates hummed as Asriel led the way through the Ruins' puzzles. If the human was taking any interest in his surroundings, he wasn't showing it.

They walked on in silence.

Chara stifled the urge to shrug off the arm Asriel still had over his shoulder. Something deep within him recoiled at physical contact. He stared at the purple stone underneath him in hopes that it would give his mind something else to brood over.

It was too quiet.

Asriel was too quiet.

Why wasn't he saying anything?

His bangs slipped out from behind his ears and dangled in front of his eyes. The human didn't care enough to brush them away.

"Hmm. Mr. Chara?"

Dark, attentive eyes jerked upwards. Chara tucked his chin towards his neck and flicked his eyebrows into his forehead.

He was listening.

"You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?"

A nod. Asriel tried not to cringe at his stupid question...what else would the answer have been?

"Aha. G-golly, you must be so confused."

Asriel didn't expect his reticent companion to giggle. He smiled involuntarily when Chara looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"That's a bit of an understatement, Azzy."

Maybe it was the sudden use of a nickname or the unexpectedly positive response to his rambling, but Asriel instantaneously felt lighter on his feet. A stupid grin plastered itself on Asriel’s face. The Prince placed a paw on his chest and deepened his voice with grandiose confidence, insisting that someone ought to teach the poor human how things worked around here, and it looked like little ol' Azzy would have to do. Chara giggled louder. Asriel smiled wider.

»»-««

By the time the two stood outside the Ruin's doors, Chara's mind was swimming with stories of SOULS, monsters, humans, interspecies war, magical barriers, millennia-long imprisonments, and a royal family composed entirely of anthropomorphic goats. It all sounded like something out of some crazy video game.

His eyes flickered over his companion, who was scrutinizing the snowy wasteland with an unreadable expression.

Chara's mirth dissolved.

Why would Asriel,  _ Prince  _ Asriel, give a random human so much care and attention?

He must want something. That's it. But what was it? His SOUL? How would that benefit him? Asriel didn't look particularly strong, at least in terms of combat, but his healing powers were exceptional. Didn't look like he needed the power. Then again, Chara didn't really have any reference to compare him with. Dark, calculating eyes stared blankly at the snowy forest ahead. He pulled his arms around the dip in his chest where he suspected his SOUL was.

"Boy, do you look cold! Here, Mr. Chara. Take my sweater, you'll need it more than me."

The humans' eyes flitted from a particularly suspicious-looking array of trees to Asriel's shirtless form. His train of thought was instantly derailed. What on earth was this goat doing? Taking off his sweater? In this weather? Did the biting wind and flurry of white slush around them not mean anything to him? Why didn't this guy at least have a shirt underneath? This was a sort of death wish, to be sure.

Chara recoiled and flicked his hand in refusal.

Asriel remained undaunted, holding out the striped green and yellow sweater with a determined air of insistence.

"Lookie here, Mr. Chara. I've got a literal coat of fur. I'm not cold at all!" A particularly bitter breeze weaved its way between the pair, and Asriel's muscles contracted sharply. Chara raised a singular eyebrow in silent protest. "Okay, alright. I'm a  _ little  _ cold, but I'll live. I mean, you're probably frozen half to death right now!"

Oh. That was actually true. Chara didn't notice how absolutely freezing he was until the fact was pointed out, and now it was unbearable. Taking the proffered sweater with an air of defeat, Chara tried desperately to remember what he was just thinking about. Something about Asriel…? He popped his head out the sweater's top and slid his hands carefully through the sleeves, absent-mindedly shuffling the two layers of cloth as he wracked his brain. Asriel looked on, a ditzy smile softening his fluffy features.

"Boy, you look comfy!"

Chara nodded in agreement. His skin was already starting to warm up.

"Well, come on, Mr. Chara! It's only a 20-minute walk or so to Snowdin Town, and from there, we can take the ferry home! The Riverkid's real nice, I think you'll like him. Anyway, though, Mom is probably whipping up some seriously mad soup as we speak, so you'll have something nice and warm in your stomach before you know it!"

Whatever Chara had been thinking about earlier, it couldn't have been as important as the prospect of 'seriously mad soup.' The human nodded to the goat, letting his hand dangle at his side in a silent invitation.

Asriel closed his paw around Chara's hand.

The pair shuffled onwards. A gust of wind whistled through the trees, an air of foreboding dripping from the ceiling. The starved, twisted corpses of trees long dead stared disapprovingly as the pair made their way to the town. It didn't take the human long to decide that he really,  _ really _ didn't like this place.

"Ugh, I hate how the snow makes my fur so  _ wet! _ " Asriel bleated. The human cast an anxious glance at his companion, noting the flattened, grey streaks of wet fur that crisscrossed his torso and face. Chara fingered the collar of the sweater uncomfortably. The goat boy shook his head. "You're keeping that. I'm not upset about my face or anything, and I'm seriously not that cold. It's my feet. The snow's got it all wet. I feel like I'm walking on, like, ugh," Asriel scrambled for the right words before slumping in defeat, "It feels like walking on something gross, I guess! Gosh. I suck with words!"

Chara giggled. He stopped walking, letting Asriel take a few steps ahead, and scooped an armful of snow into his arms. A fistful of the white fluff was crunched into something resembling a ball.

"Heads up seven up!" Chara shouted.

"Heads up seven wha-" Asriel shrieked as a crude snowball landed squarely between his shoulder blades. The prince squealed and twisted his hands behind his back, trying to brush off the snow before it could slip further. He turned around to come face to face with a smiling, no,  _ beaming _ Chara.

Any anger he felt evaporated in an instant. Before he could put together a war cry or coherent battle plan, Asriel's paws were stuffed with snow.

"Try me, human!" the goat exclaimed, sending two irregularly shaped snowballs flying towards a fleeing Chara. A loud snort in the distance indicated that at least one of the snowhunks had found its target, and the prince grinned to himself. His victory didn't last long. A flurry of snowballs hit the goat child in the chest and stomach, one misfire whizzing above his head.

"Pride goes before the fall, Azzy!" A giggling voice asserted.

"CHARA! Get back here!" Formalities and hunger and cold forgotten, Asriel's entire mind was focused on the fight. He hastily constructed a snow fort (an expertly crafted structure consisting of a goat-made snowdrift and a shallow snowball pit) and dove inside. He peered above his safe haven for the elusive offender, absentmindedly crunching snow in his palms as he waited. A flash of yellow and green and brown flickered to his right, and Asriel launched half-a-dozen snowballs in that general direction. A grandiose squeal for mercy responded to his attack. The goat grinned, drew himself to his full height, and placed his hands on his hips. He tried not to flinch as the wind flopped his ears in his face. Chara resurfaced about thirty feet in front of Asriel's fort, hair, sweater, and skin darkened from the snow. Bangs fell over his face, sweeping over the flat bridge of his nose, and his face flushed red from laughter.

Something in Asriel's heart burned.

"Poor mortal! Clearly, you have no chance against me. For this reason, I, Prince Asriel Dreemurr, elect to grant you MERCY!" The Prince extended his hands out to the side in a caricature of a hug, tilting his chin backward to complete the flamboyant image. Chara shambled forward, muscles still quivering from his laughing fit, arms pressed to his chest.

"Oh, Azzy!" the human taunted, "doncha know that in this world, it's  _ kill  _ or  _ be killed?" _

Before Asriel could realize his mistake, a snowball splattered against his exposed stomach. He fell backward with a dramatic cry, pressing the back of his paw to his forehead.

"How could I have been so easily  _ defeated?"  _ he lamented when his body hit the white fluff underneath.

Chara exploded in laughter, clutching his sides as he ran to the fallen prince. The human crouched down next to Asriel - who was splayed out ridiculously in the remains of his ruined fort - and brushed the excess snow from his face.

"I got you pretty good, didn't I?" Chara boasted as he helped Asriel to his feet. The goat rolled his eyes and gave the traitor a casual grin.

"That was a real dirty trick you pulled there, Chara. I don't think I'll be able to forgive you." Asriel said, hands on hips, "if something like this happens again, I might be forced to banish you to the  _ island of perpetual tickling!" _

"Well, Your Majesty, I'll have you know tha-" a low rumble interrupted Chara's plea for mercy.

"Dude, what was that?"

"I think it was my stomach," Chara muttered, sending his midsection as pointed a glare one could give an internal organ. Asriel ran a paw down his face, smoothing out cowlicks and rouge clumps of wet fur. He looked incredibly guilty for someone who hadn't done anything wrong.

"Aw, man. Chara, I'm so sorry. Getting you all tangled up in a snowball fight when you don't have anything to run off of - I shouldn't have done that."

"Asriel, it's alright. I'm not really that hungry." Chara insisted.

Right on cue, his stomach let out another temperamental wail. The goat boy gave Chara a frustrated snort. The latter shrugged.

"T-there's a restaurant in Snowdin Town," Asriel began. "It's a pretty nice place. We can pick up cheese fries or onion rings o-or maybe milkshakes? If you want milkshakes, we'll get milkshakes, you know. It's, you know - whatever you want, Chara." The goat's chin was tucked against his neck, a familiar hangdog look already darkening his features. Why on earth did Asriel feel guilty because he was hungry? Chara wondered. Maybe he was hungry too? So many things about this kid didn't make sense. "It’ll just be something small to tide us over during the ferry ride," Asriel continued, "the ferry ride - it's about an hour, maybe? Yeah, you gotta eat something before then. But anyway it's pretty late, we might need to hustle if we want to get to Grillby's before closing time."

Chara tilted his head to the side. His bangs slipped across his forehead.

"Let's get going then, shall we?"

The human's hand dangled by his side, wet and puffy from the snow. As if it was some sort of age-old habit or natural instinct, Asriel slipped his paw into Chara's hand.

Something in their SOULs burned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you read all the way to the end...wow! You rock.  
> The next chapter should be out in two days. It's mostly done, but I feel like the flow of events is really boring. It's twice the length of the first chapter, but I'm thinking of adding more to it so it'll be a more interesting read for you guys. If there isn't anything up by Monday, just know that I'm working to make the chapter even better!


	3. The Milkshake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara meets the first monster suspicious of him and his intentions...and definitely not the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, Chapter 3 is here (obviously)! It's the longest chapter so far, and I really hope you have a good time reading it. Warning for some headcanons here: I cherish the idea that Fuku Fire is Grillby's daughter, so that idea crops up a few times. Also, part of me wondered if Jerry's family was just as irritating as him...and if all of them had names that could be shortened to "Jerry". So what I'm trying to say is look out for Dadby and Jerry's equally senseless father/brother, Jeremy. For an added experience, listen to this song while reading --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HyNJHAmq80 (AO3 formats links very strangely, so you might have to copy and paste it into your search bar. Don't be afraid of it! The Milk Bar theme from Majora's Mask is probably one of my favorite video-game soundtracks of all time and has some seriously Grillby-esque vibes).  
> Enjoy!

"Asriel, there are still monsters in there. A lot."

The Prince tried to swallow a sigh. There wasn't any point in arguing with Chara's observation. Bright light oozed out of Grillby's windows and pooled onto the sparkling snow outside, the friendly halo around the building only emphasizing the liveliness within. The sound of clinking glasses and raucous laughter could be heard all the way from Snowdin Town's welcome sign, where a shirtless goat and disgruntled human stood side-by-side.

"Gosh, I, aha, musta misjudged the time. I-I thought the place would be a little closer to closing time and, uh, there'd be fewer monsters. Sorry." Chara gave him an unimpressed look. The goat boy cringed and scratched the back of his head, wincing when his claws snagged on a knotted snarl of fur. He muttered some more apologies and offered to pop into the adjacent shop to buy them a few sandwiches. His companion said nothing. Their eyes were fixed on Grillby's.

"Go-lly, Chara. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you! I know that you're probably not comfortable being around other monsters yet, especially that many. I really wouldn't have suggested we go there if I knew the place would be this packed. If we, I mean, if  _ you _ want to go on the ferry now, we can." Asriel's apologies were addressed to the snow under his feet - he didn't have the fortitude to look his friend in the face.

There was the sound of rustling cloth and muffled grunts.

"Take your jacket."

Asriel looked up to see his sweater dangling in front of him, collar pinched between Chara's thumb and forefinger. The goat boy blinked twice then shook his head vehemently.

"Please, Asriel. Take your jacket. I don't need it anymore." Chara's voice had dropped an octave lower, soft exhales of air mingling with the words themselves.

"What do you mean you don't need it anymore? We're still in Snowdin."

A cheerful, wet breeze sent an armful of snow in their faces as if to assert the fact.

Chara sighed. "What would people think if Asriel, Prince Asriel, walks into Grillby's shirtless, soaked, and shivering? There's no way that story can sound good, especially with a human in the mix."

The sweater fluttered in the breeze.

"Walk into Grillby's…? I thought you didn't wanna go there."

"You want to go there, so that's what we'll do."

Asriel was about to explain he didn't care much for the place and that the sacrifice was unnecessary, but the look on Chara's face murdered the words in his mouth.

The human's eyebrows were pressed together in concern, eyelids lifted just high enough for Asriel to glimpse the earnest look in Chara's eyes. Almost imperceptible shivers betrayed the fact that the human was already missing the second layer of warmth but had no intention of reclaiming it.

Chara cared.

Something in Asriel's SOUL stirred, and his resolve weakened. The human took a step forward and draped the limp jacket over Asriel's shoulder. Without another word, Asriel slipped it on.

"Thanks, Chara."

"Thanks? It's not my jacket, Azzy."

"No, I mean, thanks for agreeing to go to Grillby's. I promise we'll have a great time."

Chara placed a small, delicate hand on Asriel's shoulder.

"I trust you, goat boy."

Asriel snickered and blinked away happy tears. He slung his arm around his friend's shoulder, smiling to himself when the human visibly relaxed, and sauntered towards Grillby's.

»»-««

A sudden wave of curiosity hit Chara as the pair crept into the bustling restaurant. He stared at the lively scene through his bangs, wordlessly drinking in the scene. An army of anthropomorphic dogs stood crowded around a long table, barking and yelping loudly as chips and cards were tossed in the air. Lanky, serious figures sat silently at the bar. A mosaic of empty glasses stood at simpering attention in front of them, and their grave, hushed muttering was hardly audible. And was that...a family of bunny monsters sitting at a half-moon table? Chara’s eyes widened. It was as if a hundred different worlds and lifestyles converged at one venue. So many monsters! 

So many monsters.

_ So many... _

Blood clambered to the human's face. His fingers shook. Chara unrolled the turtleneck collar of his knit sweater and pulled it up to his chin, combed his bangs in front of his eyes, and held onto Asriel's hand even tighter. He let himself be pulled in a direction he only hoped was away from the other monsters. His blood screamed and pulsed at the back of his head. 

"Don't worry, Chara," the goat boy said, "nobody even saw us come in."

"Hey, guys! Is that Prince Asriel?" a high-pitched voice cried out.

The entire restaurant went silent.

And then immediately erupted in cheers.

"Yo, Prince-boy! Tell your dad I say hi!"

"Hey, little dude! How's life treatin' ya?"

"Aww, he's made a friend! And they've even got matching sweaters!"

"Drinks on Asriel?"

"Drinks on Asriel!"

"Shut up, Jeremy. He's literally a kid."

"Nice one, Doggo."

"Wha- ugh! That was not intentional."

"You heard it here first, guys! Doggo is a secret comedian!"

"You better shut your stupid, noodle-arm, UFO, saucer-lookin' a-"

"Language!" A feminine voice exclaimed, "the Prince of the Underground is right there!"

Asriel glanced at Chara and inhaled sharply, letting his chest swell with the restaurant's confident, greasy air. He cleared his throat and gave the crowd a friendly wave. "Howdy, all. My friend and I are just here for a snack. How's everyone doing tonight?"

Chara's eyebrows shot up into his forehead. He hadn’t met this assertive, charismatic Asriel he was seeing just now. 

"Very well, sir!"

"Better, now that you're here!"

"Jus' fine, lil' dude."

"Yo, Princey! Who's your friend? Never seen 'em around before."

Asriel squeezed Chara's hand tighter and gave the crowd a patient, practiced smile. "I would introduce him, but Mom expects me to be home in about an hour. Y'all know how it is. Didn't mean to cause a ruckus - just wanted to grab a bite and slip out."

Clever. The human was impressed.

"Aw, shoot! Didn't mean to hold you up."

"Mama Goat is gonna be real mad, lil' dude! Better get chomping."

The apologies and friendly noises continued, but Asriel was already leading Chara to a booth nestled in the corner of the restaurant. The human clambered onto the plush seating and pressed himself next to the window. A hushed sigh escaped him as the glass cooled his inflamed cheeks. Asriel gave the crowd one last wave before sidling up to his new friend. Chara stared at the frozen world outside. There was something ethereal about the way the restaurant's lights illuminated the lazy snow flurries outside. Each snowflake sparkled a bombastic yellow, delighted to have a spotlight on them for a mere second before they joined their brothers below. It seemed that Snowdin Town's beauty could only be appreciated when isolated from its weather.

Growing tired of the endless expanse of white, Chara focused on the scene within the building. With careful, squinted eyes, the human scrutinized the restaurant with the sort of acuity only comparable to a fascinated tourist. So many monsters, so many voices...so much friendliness crammed into one place.

Asriel made a grunting noise, the sharp tinkling of metal on wood bringing Chara's attention back to the table.

"Cripes. I've only got ten gold."

A jerk of Asriel's chin directed Chara's eyes to the tabletop, where ten dime-sized pieces of metal lay scattered. Asriel was holding a little brown pouch in his hand, pinching the bottom and shaking it over the table in hopes that more "gold" would drop out. Nothing did.

"Well, that should be enough for maybe a small fries. Or one milkshake. Ugh, but if we eat sweets before dinner, Mom will be very angry." Asriel huffed and scooped the pieces of metal back into the pouch, then turned to face Chara. "What would you like?"

"You'll get in trouble if you eat any sweets?" Chara whispered, rolling his collar back down and staring at Asriel in earnest.

"Well, yeah."

"Oh." The human combed his hair back with his fingers and gave an exaggerated sigh.

"D-did you want something sugary? It's not a problem! Mom's rule only applies to me, I'm pretty sure."

Chara placed his head in his hands, wincing as the dried skin on his cheeks and fingers tore from the movement. He resisted the urge to itch and focused instead on keeping his voice as somber as possible. "No, don't worry about it. I want the same thing as you. Get whatever you like."

Asriel stared at Chara through squinted eyes, then shook his head and crossed his arms. "N-nope. We're getting the biggest, sweetest, milky-est milkshake Mister Grillby will give us for ten gold. No friend of mine is going unsatisfied - not on my watch!"

As the goat boy walked away, chin high and chest puffed and money pouch dangling from a claw, Chara smiled.

That was much easier than he'd expected.

»»-««

It was difficult to surprise Grillby.

This was probably the natural consequence of being a father, entrepreneur, and local confidant. The three facets of his life, all unpredictable and untameable, had taught his SOUL to live peaceably with the unforeseen. A lifestyle of living on one's toes had a way of nurturing a harmonious relationship with a tumultuous world.

He was the embodiment of calm waters. Metaphorically.

Having the Prince of the Underground walk into your restaurant on a Saturday night with a disheveled shadow clinging to his paw, however, was undoubtedly an occurrence worthy of the epithet "surprise." He'd been thoughtfully remolding a highball glass Jeremy shattered, listening carefully to a customer's drunken monologue, when someone announced the Prince's arrival. Shocked, he'd lost control of his flames for a split second and liquified the glass shards in his hands. The surprises kept coming, however. Upon realizing what the lanky, shaggy-haired figure hovering behind the Prince was, he accidentally set the wood beneath him on fire.

Now the floor behind the bar was scorched, and there was a red, goopy mess on his bar top he didn't know how to fix.

_ And there was a human in his restaurant. _

The bartender let out a subdued crackle that could only be interpreted as a sigh.

He was glad that none of his customers had recognized exactly what "Asriel's little friend" was. There were only so many angry dogs and scared rabbits he could placate with his near-inaudible voice, even less when his whirlwind of emotions made controlling his flames an uncelebrated feat.

Saturday nights were relentless in every sense of the word.

He'd just supplied Jeremy with his third basket of cheese fries (and a set of napkins in vain hope the saucer-shaped monster would take the initiative to clean up after himself) when an unmistakable voice diverted his attention.

"Howdy, Mister Grillby!"

Grillby looked down. Asriel looked up.

"Sorry to cause such a, uh, fuss. I thought there would be fewer people or something at this time…"

The bartender folded his hands behind his back, waiting for the little Prince to find the words he needed.

"I, uh…"

The Prince heaved a quivering sigh and looked around. His eyes seemed to be looking for something, be it relief, words, or confidence, but they quickly dropped back to the floor.

An emotive, inebriated speech on the other side of the restaurant had just tapered off, and the ensuing volcano of applause caused the Prince to wince. With a wide, blank look in his eyes, he suddenly turned away and hid his head in his paws.

"I, ah…"

It took a few seconds for Grillby to notice the nearly-imperceptible shaking of Prince Asriel's shoulders. Muffled hiccups accompanied hushed, watery inhales. He knew that sound exceptionally well - what father didn't?

Grillby's metaphorical heart broke.

If this was because of the human…

He shook the dark thoughts out of his head. Yes, it was a human. But it was also a  _ child _ .

"Your Majesty."

Asriel turned around in surprise. To hear Grillby talk was a phenomenon that must be seen as well as heard, regardless of how teary-eyed and snot-nosed one was. The bartender suppressed a smile at the Prince's exaggerated reaction - now wasn't the time - and made a waving motion urging the Prince to accompany him towards the bar. After effortlessly weaving through the crowds and casting the occasional backward glance to ensure that Prince Asriel hadn't drowned in the mob, the bartender ushered the goat behind the bar.

Anticipating the Prince's confusion, Grillby held up one flaming finger to indicate that he would only be gone for a second. Asriel watched silently as the elemental ducked into the back room and emerged with a spare stool and chocolate bar that, somehow, retained its solid form despite its handler. The bartender set the stool next to the Prince and motioned for him to take a seat, handing him the chocolate bar when he did. The goat looked at the candy in his paws with a distant air of awe. It was king-sized.

"Thank you, sir."

The chocolate bar remained untouched and unopened, but Grillby nodded his head in recognition anyway. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to get the Prince so shaken up. Nobody in the restaurant had treated Prince Asriel with even the slightest amount of disrespect, so it couldn't be that. And aside from looking cold and a little bit wet, the Prince didn't seem to have any injuries. The bartender rested an arm on the counter and leaned onto it. No need to rush an explanation.

"Excuse me, Mister Grillby," the Prince started up again, "d-do you have milkshakes that cost ten gold or less?"

Grillby dipped his head towards his chest in incredulity. He nodded slowly but said nothing. There was no need for anyone to point out that milkshake prices weren't to blame for the Prince's current emotional state. His flames swelled when he traced the Prince's gaze over to the booth where the human sat. Old grudges clambered at his throat. Grillby pushed them down with practiced expertise.

"My friend is real hungry. H-he hasn't eaten anything in a while." The Prince gave the bartender a cloudy look and dropped his voice further. "I know he wants a milkshake. But he's too afraid to ask for it because I told him Mom will be angry if I eat something sweet before dinner, and I only have money for one thing. And, you know, I just want him to be happy. But I don't want to disappoint my Mom either."

Ah. This made a little more sense. Grillby had always known Asriel to be on the delicate side, both physically and emotionally, so his desperation to please was understandable. After all, validation from others was, unfortunately, the cheapest way to heal temporary cracks in one's self-esteem. Grillby sighed again, his thoughts weighing heavily on his shoulders. The Prince of the Underground was so unsure of his worth that the mere prospect of rejection was enough to make him cry. He stifled the urge to place a hand on the Prince's shoulder - children didn't usually take well to being too close to a fire elemental.

At least there was something he could do to make the situation a little better.

Waving away Prince Asriel's proffered money pouch, Grillby disappeared to the kitchen. He emerged minutes later with two massive hamburgers dripping with translucent yellow grease, balancing the plates on his shoulders as he twirled the utensils between his fingers. The steam from the burgers clouded up his glasses, forcing him to set down the dishes on the bar and wipe the lenses. He motioned for the Prince to follow him, the plates returning to their perch on Grillby's fingertips.

Anxious footsteps echoed after Grillby's. "Sir, I can't pay for that! Please, Mister Grillby!" The Prince's anxious bleating drew the attention of a few customers who looked at the scene and burst into laughter.

"Lookit, Saint Grillby is back at it again!"

"Don't' worry, lil' dude! Mr. Fire Man has got your back."

"Hey, Grillbz! If I told you I was Prince Asriel's long lost cousin, would I get a free hamburger too?"

Realization dawned on Prince Asriel's face, and a mirthful puff of steam escaped Grillby. The bartender believed with his entire being that too many good things were crammed into this small place. He was beyond grateful for his noisy, lively customers - they were as much a part of the restaurant as the burgers, fries, and drinks. Again, the Prince tugged on his pants. Once he knew he had Grillby's attention, the little goat spouted off a string of half-memorized reasons why he couldn't accept the gift. The bartender shook his head and walked briskly to the booth where the human sat, smiling as the Prince bounded ahead, untouched chocolate bar in hand, to give their friend a description of the developing situation.

Grillby almost set the entire building on fire when he saw a flash of pure fury on the human's face. It was gone in an instant, and the bartender reminded himself that this was a  _ child _ , that he'd been working for hours and was probably seeing things, that there was no reason for a kid to be so ideologically opposed to the idea of a free hamburger.

Setting down the two burgers in front of the children and once again deflecting the Prince's attempts to pay, he gave the human his best impression of a smile. It tilted its head curiously. No further malice darkened its' face - no, no, not  _ its _ , Asriel had said the human was a  _ he.  _ Grillby noticed coldly that the human had somehow taken possession of the Prince's chocolate bar.

After a few more increasingly half-hearted attempts at refusing the food, the Prince relented. Grillby took it as his cue to walk away. The sound of a raspy voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Thank you, Mister Grillby. We'll remember this."

The human.

Prince Asriel quickly echoed the human's sentiments, insisting that they both were extremely grateful and that he would ensure the Royal Family repaid him as soon as possible. Grillby turned around slowly, keeping a tight rein on his core temperature, and nodded curtly.

Jeremy's insistent cries for another basket of cheese fries were, for the first time, a welcome distraction.

»»-««

With a poorly suppressed burp, Asriel pushed his empty plate into the middle of the table. That was a good burger. He would have to convince Dad to bring him here more often. The Prince absentmindedly reached for a paper napkin and ran it over his muzzle, hoping it would absorb any traces of grease left in his fur.

"Howdya like the food, Chara?"

The addressed looked away from the window and down at their plate, which had hardly been touched.

"Wha-! You didn't eat anything!"

"Yes, I did."

Chara pressed the pads of his fingers delicately on the porcelain plate and spun it around, revealing the other half of the burger. Or lack thereof. It was exactly half-eaten, having been split cleanly down the middle. Asriel giggled, then turned red.

"That's real clever, Chara. Sorry that I yelled at you."

The human blinked slowly, then shrugged.

"No harm done, Azzy."

The Prince nodded and pillowed his head on crossed arms, giving Chara a stern look. With slow, carefully picked words, he explained that they would have to leave soon to get home. Chara was silent as Asriel summarized the geography of the Underground, from Waterfall to Hotland to the Capital, entranced with his descriptions of the monsters that lived in each place. The Riverkid, the Lab, the labyrinth of strange elevators he ensured his ward he knew how to navigate...Chara clung onto every word with wide, sparkling eyes.

The flash of heat and weight of another presence near them snapped Asriel out of his monologue. Chara was already staring with a curious expression at the bartender in front of them.

"Oh, howdy, Mr. Grillby! Thank you so much for the meal. It was delicious." Asriel patted his stomach to emphasize the point. No response. The air was curiously tense. Grillby suddenly inclined his head towards the Prince in delayed response and picked his empty plate off the table, sliding a paper bag meant for take-aways in Chara's direction.

Slowly, Chara bundled up his half-eaten burger in a carefully folded napkin and slid it into the bag along with the chocolate bar. He pushed the porcelain plate towards the bartender and pressed his cracked cheeks to the cold glass of the window until the elemental was gone.

"Alright, then. Let's go, Chara!" Asriel's whispered words were lost in the surrounding hubbub, but him sliding out of the booth and pointing towards the door communicated his intentions flawlessly. With the paper bag in hand, Chara eased himself off the leather seating. He tossed a suspicious glance towards the bartender.

Grillby stared back.

They both looked away, minds prattling off a practiced list of explanations and rationalizations. Asriel gave the bartender a friendly wave as he pressed his paw on Chara's back, utterly oblivious to the tension sparking in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grillby is awesome, I had so much fun writing him! If you liked my characterization of him, feel free to check out my oneshot "The Reason." It's about Grillby and the struggles he may have had raising a daughter alone, and it takes place before he owned his eponymous bar. :)


	4. The Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Praying that you are all staying safe and sound during this crazy time. Chapter 4 is here! Please don't feel afraid to tell me your thoughts on how the characterization, imagery, or overall plot could be improved. I'm always working to get better and I want to make something others can enjoy. Don't feel afraid to reach out!  
> Anyways, if you're looking for an added experience when reading this chapter, I highly recommend you look up and listen to the Great Bay Temple Theme (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DfikIVGUK5g8&sa=D&ust=1590864895025000&usg=AFQjCNFHioykbDtZg6lBmKva3qsPcqK1DQ) The song screams Hotland and goes along very well with the mechanical overtones of this chapter. Also, it sounds pretty darn good.  
> Alright, to the story!

Hot.

Hot.

Hothothothot.

Long strings of keratin clung to Chara's face and neck. Fat drops of sweat trickled into his sweater. Drenched cloth gripped his skin with the desperation of a dying man.

This wasn't exactly the nicest way to wake up.

Blinking rapidly to get the bleariness of his eyes, Chara took quick stock of his surroundings. They were on a boat - he remembered docking on the strange ferry with Asriel just after leaving Grillby's - and it was very, very hot.

"Tra la la. Wash your eyebrows twice a week."

Purple cloth swished in the corner of his vision. Ah, that was the Riverkid. Chara remembered that much. They were much less interesting than Asriel had hyped them up to be; cryptic maxims and a weird dog-boat didn't precisely fit Chara's definition of "fascinating." The human was getting used to his companion's hyperbolic tendencies.

"Thank you so much, Riverkid." A familiar white blur - oh, must be Asriel - wafted towards Chara. "Glad you got some shut-eye, dude. We're in Hotland now, it'll only be a few minutes until we're home. Ready to go?"

Chara nodded, blinking again as the wet air blurred his vision, and grabbed his Grillby's takeaway bag. Still heavy. Part of him was surprised that nobody had made any advances on his lunch.

The boat bobbed downwards as Asriel stepped off and rocked gently as the human stood up. Chara grasped the goat's paw as he crossed from boat to dry land, waving the Riverkid a half-hearted goodbye as he did so. The two giggled as the little ship grew a set of legs and quiet literally skipped back the way they came. It seemed like this place was always full of surprises.

Asriel started walking down the dark corridor in front of them. Chara followed hastily, not used to being left behind. "Golly," the Prince muttered to himself, "sometimes I forget how hot this place is. My dad named it Hotland for a reason, I guess." Chara chuffed in agreement, digging through his bag for the chocolate bar. His fingers pressed into something suspiciously soft and vaguely rectangular; a wave of grief crashed over him as he realized the heat had already liquified his sweet treat. He pulled it out anyways - solid or liquid, it was still chocolate, and he was going to eat it.

The pair stepped outside the corridor and were greeted by an astonishing expanse of red. The color was everywhere. Colonnades of crimson stone rose from the pulsating magma beneath, melding together to create the floor the two stood on. The proud obelisks reached towards the ceiling and cradled a labyrinth of buildings and houses between them. Lava trickled from the steppe-like sides of the cavern; the shadow of a massive machine loomed in the distance. The whole place smelled like burnt earth and fire. 

Chara brought the packet of liquified chocolate to his lips and sipped as he stared. He stopped his observations for a split second to appreciate how delicious the chocolate was; it didn't even leave the sugary grit on his teeth most chocolates did. Probably something to do with weird monster magic.

"-and that's the lab that the Royal Scientist and his assistants work at. They're going to bring down the barrier one day." Asriel pointed to a massive white building on the right with the words 'LAB' painted haphazardly over sliding doors. Masters of science, clearly, but not aesthetic.

The human nodded thoughtfully to himself, wordlessly criticizing the weird white box of a building, and found his gaze captivated by a massive, rectangular shadow in the distance.

"Azzy, what's that?" Chara directed a single, slender finger to the grey structure in the distance. Was it an extension of the LAB? It looked much bigger and decidedly cooler.

"Oh. That's the CORE," Asriel replied, the apathy thick in his voice, "it's some weird machine the Royal Scientist is working on...I don't really get what it does, but it's supposed to be a big deal. Something about magical electricity? Dunno."

"Magical electricity?" the human queried as the two squinted at the shadow, "don't you guys have that already? Snowdin Town had lots of lights. And how would the sliding doors of the LAB open up without power?"

The fur on the back of Asriel's neck stood up as he became acutely aware of his intellectual inferiority. He didn't understand the CORE despite his mother's best attempts to explain and couldn't see why everybody else was so excited about it. Like Chara said, they already had electricity - right? He tried to swallow the bitter taste of frustration and blinked away the water already building in his eyes.

With a nonchalant huff, the Prince shrugged and said everything wasn't as complicated as it looked. He explained that the CORE had been running for years even though it wasn't finished (he was pretty sure this was true) and that there was no reason to be hung up on it because it honestly wasn't even that important (that part wasn't). He sighed a silent breath of relief when Chara turned his head away from the CORE and towards him.

"Let's keep going then, alrighty?" Asriel suggested with a poorly hidden sense of urgency. The human nodded, and he relaxed.

A wave of heat washed over the two as they passed the LAB. Chara made an offhand comment about weather in the Underground being on the extreme side, to which Asriel said something about Waterfall and rain.

"Waterfall?" Chara quipped absent-mindedly through a mouthful of chocolate goo.

"Oh, yeah. It's another place down here. We passed it on the ferry, but you were asleep, I think. I don't go there often, but it's this huge place, all blue, you know, with stars and rain and waterfalls. Boy, is it gorgeous! Much nicer than Hotland." Chara raised his eyebrows in casual surprise, and Asriel, emboldened by the reaction, continued. "I'll make sure to take you there sometime. But we gotta go home first, you know. Let me guess...you want to take the short way?"

Chara nodded vehemently. For all the earthly beauty of Hotland, its name encapsulated the reason why it was so unbearable. The thought of relief outweighed the desire to explore.

"Haha! I thought so. Follow me." Asriel sprinted off towards a thin pathway in front of him, forcing Chara to toss his packet of chocolate sauce back in the bag and hastily lick his fingers before following the goat.

Ahead of them, the soprano sparkle of electricity accompanied a dull metallic clink. Asriel reached the end of the red stone path and stopped abruptly; a sudden rush of self-awareness on Chara's part the only thing saving him from face planting into the former's back. With a comical flourish, the Prince stepped aside to reveal a shimmering, bullet-like contraption. It looked vaguely like an elevator, and, with the exposition Asriel supplied, confirmed to be so.

"This bad boy'll take us right to the biggest apartment building in the Underground." Asriel explained as the two stepped inside the strange contraption, "from there, we can take another elevator straight to New Home. That's where my parents live and where you'll, uh-" A robotic chime cut off Asriel's short explanation, which had already begun dying off for some reason. The doors swung open, and the pair stepped outside.

A tall, blue building whose only shape could be described as obscurely octahedral greeted them. Despite being nowhere near as proud as Hotland's stone columns, it carried its own self-important sense of confidence. Flashes of domestic life could be seen through the windows: a bunny monster rocking a child to sleep, a dragon child drawing cautious shapes on their bedroom wall, and a family of what seemed to be anthropomorphic volcanoes scampering around a dinner table.

"This, Chara, is the biggest apartment complex in the Underground. A-and believe me, considering how many of them are in New Home, that means a lot." Chara raised his eyebrows, a now obligatory gesture, and made a movement towards the glass doors.

"W-wait!" Asriel cried.

Chara froze. Had he done something wrong?

"Uh, s-sorry to scare you. But considering the time, there'll be a lot of monsters in the lobby. J-just stay close to me, and you'll be fine." The Prince's eyes grew cloudy all of a sudden, and his voice dropped. "You won't need to worry about crowds when you're with me. They, uh, typically go away when I'm around. I call it the 'Asriel Effect.'"

If the epithet was intended to be a joke of sorts, the only indication of it was a lame laugh on the speaker's part. Asriel blinked quickly and grasped Chara's hand, opening the door with his unoccupied paw.

The scene in front of them reminded Chara immediately of Grillby's. On their right, a small family of bunny monsters chatted with a group of what Asriel called 'Temmies.' A disembodied fox head gossiped with an equally disembodied hand. A little man made entirely of fire clutched a tiny green ember to his chest and shouted endless expletives at the overwhelmed receptionist. What looked like a cross between an alligator and a toddler scrambled past, shouting greetings at a small cat-monster with a heavy prairie-girl inflection.

Chara's earlier anxiety melted away. Something magical bloomed in his chest - fiery, soft, delicate - that drenched the scene around him in pink. A rush of gratitude flooded his veins. With the faint vestiges of religion still in his blood, he thanked an unknown god for sparing him long enough to see such a sight.

It was at that moment that Chara realized that he was irreversibly and impossibly in love with monsterkind.

An empty part of the human suddenly felt whole again.

Intermingled scents of cleaning products and cold tile wafted up Chara's nose as Asriel guided his human through the rapidly-dispersing cloud. The "Asriel Effect" had been surmised excellently by its namesake; monsters young and old hastily stepped out of their way and proceeded to stare at them with quiet looks of awe. Awkward small talk was made with a little jello monster that spoke entirely in wiggles and with the busboy who'd taken great pains to shoo everybody except for "His Majesty and His Majesty's friend" out the Capital-bound elevator

Another ping, another swish of mechanical doors, and another scene. New Home revealed itself in front of the human. Traces of gasoline and pollen pirouetted in the air and settled into their clothes. Asriel guided Chara down a twisting and turning grey pathway with much less commentary than before, a strange change of pace from his earlier talkativeness. Idly licking the foil of the now-nonexistent chocolate bar in hopes of another drop of ebony goodness, Chara twisted his head this way and that to get a full view of the Capital. On his right, monochrome apartment buildings fraternized with the clouds above. Faint shards of gossip and chit chat could be heard in the distance; the loud vibrations of city life made the exact subjects impossible to discern, however. A look to the left revealed a scene identical in color palette and structure.

"You live here?" Chara whispered.

Asriel flinched in surprise, rudely awakened from whatever melancholy train of thought he had been conducting, and cast a quick glance at Chara. The question only seemed to register after a few seconds of awkward staring. Quickly stuttering out an explanation, the Prince elucidated that yes, he technically lived here, but not in an apartment building. Chara's unreadable expression prodded Asriel to continue, and he laid out the hasty verbal blueprints of his house, tracing a finger through the air to make an impression of the path from the living room to the bedroom.

In all honesty, Chara wasn't paying much attention to Asriel's explanation. Soon enough, he would see the place for himself; all this gesturing and waving and stuttering was a little bit excessive. Ruminating on these thoughts, Chara pulled out a paper napkin from the takeaway bag and ran it over his fingers and mouth, cringing when he saw the copious amounts of melted chocolate that had been smeared on his face for at least the past half hour. His brain slowly processed Asriel's endless stream of words as he pressed the corners of the ruined napkin together and tossed it back in the bag. Dark, unreadable eyes focused themselves again on Asriel.

"Hey, Azzy," Chara began, cutting the Prince's detailed description of his toy box in half, "why are you so nervous?"

"Nervous?" The Prince giggled painfully. "Aha, gosh, can't say I know what you mean."

Something furious flashed across Chara's face - just long enough for Asriel to swallow his words but not enough for any nonverbal threat to be communicated. Taking the silence as his cue to continue, Chara opened his mouth and said, "Asriel, there isn't really a point in lying. You're nervous. What for? Is it me?"

Asriel's eyes widened in horror, and he shook his head vehemently. Multiple attempts at answering the question were made, all dissolved into a shambling mess of malformed syllables. Finally, the Prince steeled himself and drew in a huge breath. He gave Chara a pointed look.

"I'm scared, Chara."

"Scared?" The human rolled the word around on their tongue like a marble, "Scared of what?"

"O-of what we're about to do."

"What do you mean? Are we doing something wrong?"

The goat boy shook his head and gestured to the little yellow house standing in front of them. The meticulously cut front lawn was a bright green that stood in friendly defiance to the Capital's grey; tiny purple morning glories, elevated by a web of vines, pressed their heads against the yellow brick. Brilliant buttercups cushioned by shy clusters of baby's breath lay like a garland around the little cottage.

A tinge of cinnamon and butterscotch hung in the air.

Asriel grasped Chara's hand and gripped the human's shoulder with his unoccupied paw. His eyes sparkled with an amalgamation of sorrow, anticipation, and pure joy.

"Chara, our lives are about to change forever. You know that, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they're home! I sincerely hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you thought!


	5. The Dreemurrs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara settles in with a family of friendly goats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is here! Hope you enjoy the longest chapter so far. Here is the Recommended Vibe(TM) for this chapter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLM5oGKDvm4&t=272s)

"Okay, who's this?"

Asriel held up a laminated flashcard in front of Chara, his claws leaving tiny grooves in the plastic coating as he did so. The human squinted. From the card, the twisted, gnarled visage of an old turtle peeked back. Chara ran a finger over his cracked lips as he petered out an answer.

"Gerson."

"Nice! Gosh, you're getting better at this every day!"

If the compliment had triggered any dopamine receptors in Chara's brain, it didn't show. The human blinked slowly, fighting away sleep, and found his eyes drifting absently around the place he'd called home for the past two months. The idea of living here was still a novelty. Mahogany flooring and pastel furniture came together in a color palette he didn't recognize as familiar yet; the fireplace Asriel lighted earlier that day cast a foreign circle of heat on the crayons scattered across the floor. An unfortunate stick of "Unmellow Yellow" dripped happy, bright puddles of wax onto the wooden flooring. Somebody was going to get in trouble for that.

"...Chara, you sleepy?"

No response. Asriel grew anxious. Maybe Chara was just too tired to answer? It would make sense - Mom always woke them up at five in the morning for school, and the fact they'd studied for three hours longer than usual would explain the vacant look in Chara's eyes. Ugh, if only those  _ annoying scientists  _ didn't schedule his parents for one of those all-day briefing meetings tomorrow! Then he and Chara wouldn't have to double up on schoolwork and slog through these endless Citizen Cards.

He'd always hated the Citizen Cards. If Mum really wanted him to know the names and faces of all monsters in the Underground, wouldn't it just be better to meet them in person? Flashcards seemed a bit of a roundabout way to do it. Whatever. Chara liked the cards, so he would teach himself to like them too.

But right now, the human didn't seem very interested in the laminated squares. Asriel's chest puffed, and his paws reached for a lone sharpie sitting on the table. He would fix that!

"Chara! Chara, look!"

The human cast two vacant eyes at the card in front of his face, the skin of his forehead wrinkling in confusion.

"What? It's just Grillby. We already did that one."

Asriel huffed in frustration and pointed a finger at the poorly drawn overbite and propeller hat he'd drawn on Grillby's face. The black ink had already started to smear over the plastic but held just long enough for Chara to toss him a questioning glance.

"Lookit, Chara, he's Grill _ bert  _ now!"

Dark eyes widened, and eczemic hands covered a shyly smiling mouth.

"Hmmm. He  _ does  _ sorta look like a Grillbert with those funny teeth..." Chara took the card into his hands and giggled at the defamed bartender's image, laughing harder when Asriel pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth and did his best 'Grillbert' voice.

"Children! I do hope you are not talking about Mr. Grillby in such a way."

A sudden silence fell over the two boys. They took excellent care to ignore the tall, white figure standing in the kitchen doorway.

Toriel let out a sigh and wiped her hands on the fabric of her house dress. A muscle in her side spasmed as she did so - she must have tied the cloth waist belt a little bit too tightly.

"But Mom, he's not even here to be offended!"

"Asriel, I know that you know it's not about that." Toriel leaned against the wall and ran a hand over her face, questioning if repeating this lecture would do any good at all. "You will one day be the King of the Underground. You must learn to always treat your subjects with respect, whether in front of them or not. Now think, is this any way to repay a man that was so hospitable to you both?"

"Mom, it was just a joke!"

"Jokes reflect the heart, my love. If you are willing to disrespect just to make somebody else laugh, well, that reveals a great deal about you."

A hot flush rushed over Asriel's face. Why did Mom always need to make such a big deal about everything? So what if he wanted to make Chara laugh? Wasn't that a good thing? To make people smile? Everything he did was always wrong! Always ' _ Asriel do this because that's how princes do it'  _ or ' _ Asriel don't do that because that's not what princes do!'  _ He pressed his paws into the wooden armrest of his chair, claws itching to scrap its elegant engravings into oblivion.

"Mrs. Mom Queen, please don't be mad at him."

Both goats convulsed at once. The human's raspy, hushed whisper was the last thing they expected to hear in this exchange. Chara parted his nose-length bangs and tucked then behind his ears, focusing entirely on the Queen.

"I was just a bit tired and wasn't focusing on the Citizen Cards very well. Asriel was just trying to encourage me. We didn't mean to be rude to Mr. Grillby."

The muscles around Toriel's neck relaxed. She sighed quietly.

"Thank you for explaining the situation, Chara. Nevertheless, I expect you both to speak carefully and sincerely at all times. Do not compromise yourselves for only a few seconds of gratification." The two little boys nodded, eager for Toriel to finish her lecture. The Queen smiled to herself. "Now, it looks like you two are not going to be making much more progress in your schoolwork today. You have both done a great job so far, especially considering that we doubled up on the work today."

"Does that mean we can play now?" Asriel asked, arms pressed to his chest in earnest.

"Of course. But - but! Boys, please let me finish before you move! Thank you, Chara. Asriel, sit down too. I'm not finished. Alright. You may play until lunch is on the table, and your father comes home. If you're going to watch television, please let me know. You two have exactly an hour of screen time, no more."

"But Mom! We won't get to watch TV tomorrow if you and Dad are going to be at the CORE all day, and we're in Waterfall being babysitted by Gerson! Can't we double up on TV time just like we doubled up on school?"

Toriel crossed her arms and huffed that Asriel was entirely too dependent on that strange moving-picture box for entertainment, granting his pleas for an extra hour nonetheless. The children scampered off when they realized the deal wasn't going to sweeten itself from there.

Returning to the kitchen, Toriel smiled to herself. Even though she was only halfway through cooking lunch, she could tell it was going to be a masterpiece. Not only did it smell heavenly, but it was also a perfect, delicious balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fibers. She couldn't wait until Asgore came home.

A squeal of laughter burst from the eastern side of the house. Toriel reveled in the sound, pressing a paw to her chest as her SOUL fluttered with contentment.

Maybe she would bake a little something extra for those precious boys.

»»-««

" _ Another  _ episode?"

"C'mon, Chara! FlowerRangers™ is the best show ever!"

The human groaned and sunk his head into his arms. FlowerRangers™ was most definitely  _ not _ the best show ever. It was badly animated, oversaturated, and every conflict was solved with hugs and friendship.

So idiotic.

"Oh, check out the thumbnail for this episode! That looks  _ awesome _ . Don't worry, Chara, you'll like this one. I know it."

Chara shifted his weight to his elbows as the next episode started. Lying on one's stomach seemed to be a surefire way to lose feeling in your legs. The dialogue became garbled and meaningless as Chara's interest waned, eyelids slipping downwards as a character onscreen deflected an asteroid with his pinkie finger - ugh, how unrealistic could you get?

The swing and slam of the front door jolted both boys from their thoughts.

"Oh! Dad's home!" Asriel exclaimed.

The Prince got to his feet and nearly tripped over himself when trying to open the bedroom door. With a bony  _ thump,  _ Asriel tumbled into the hallway, quickly righting himself before sprinting to the living room. Hardly a second had passed before Asriel returned to the room, grabbed Chara's hand, and dragged him down the hallway.

King Asgore stood next to the fireplace, shaking snow out of his beard and laughing uproariously. His massive frame seemed to swallow up the living room, horns inches away from scraping the ceiling. Firelight reflected crazily off the little golden crown on his head and sprinkled across the living room floor. Muffled snickers and awkward inhales suggested that the Queen was deciding between breaking out in laughter or lecture.

"Dad!"

The King turned his head and grinned even wider when he saw the two little figures in front of him.

"My boys! Come here and warm up this old man's freezing heart, would you?"

Asriel practically launched himself into Asgore's arms, burying his nose into the King's neck. Chara shuffled up shyly, extending a limp hand in front of him. It was immediately swallowed up in Asgore's massive paws and shook vigorously.

"You shy little angel. How are you today, Mr. Chara?"

The skin of Chara's hand chafed at the hold.

"Just fine, Mr. King Dad Sir," he mumbled.

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it, little one." the King let go of Chara's hand and placed Asriel back down on the floor, harassing the two with a flurry of tickles before they took refuge behind the kitchen table. Asgore greeted his wife similarly, albeit with an added innuendo and kiss.

"Woah. This is really a spread, isn't it?" Asriel said, gesturing to the food set on the kitchen table and pointedly ignoring his flirting parents.

Chara nodded his head, mouth already watering from the plentiful feast in front of them. To say that Toriel was the best cook in the Underground would have been far from an exaggeration - the heavy, spicy smell of hot corn was enough to validate the claim. The human swung his legs beneath him in anticipation. If only those two big love birds would stop cuddling and serve the food!

"Gorey, stop!" Toriel deflected Asgore's pepper of kisses with a paw and directed her maudlin husband to the table. Lamenting his spurned affections, the King of the Underground sat down with a great sigh and placed his head in his paws. The boys giggled to themselves and stared expectantly at Toriel.

"I'll be right back, gentlemen. Feel free to start. Everybody must take a little bit of everything - including you, Chara."

The 'gentlemen' mobilized immediately after Toriel disappeared into the kitchen. Asriel helped himself to a generous portion of hot corn, holding his plate at such an angle that the majority of it slid off onto the table. That was definitely going to leave a stain, the three mused, before instantly forgetting about it. In a smattering of seconds, half of the chickpea salad was gone, scraped from the bowl to the King's plate with a fork the size of his little finger. Asriel knocked over a teacup, which promptly proceeded to fall and shatter on the floor. Chara patted the forlorn blob of hot corn splattered on the table as one might a lost child and scrutinized his meal options as he did. He liked chickpea salad much less than the spicy corn dish - the soft, mushy grit of most beans had never settled well with the human - but he still was obligated to 'have a little bit of everything.' As Asgore and Asriel dug into their lunches, Chara ladled three careful scoops of hot corn onto his plate, two strips of toasted wheat bread, and a single leaf of lettuce.

There. A little bit of everything.

"Boys and husband, I have a surprise of yooAAAHH _! _ " Toriel took a step back and looked furiously at the filthy scene in front of her, pressing the covered dish she carried closer to her chest. "Would anybody care to explain this mess?"

Silence.

"Hungry." Asriel elucidated through a creamy mouthful of corn. Chara and Asgore nodded in solemn agreement, eyes focused on the plates in front of them.

Toriel opened her mouth to argue but closed it quickly. Maybe another time. She inhaled deeply and gave the three boys her deathly I' m-not-angry-just-disappointed glare before placing the covered dish on the table. She settled delicately into her chair, savoring the brief silence, and filled her plate with lunch before any more words could be said.

"Tori, what's that?" Asgore gestured to the covered platter that now sat in the middle of the table.

"None of your fluffy butts are going to know until all your plates and faces are  _ clean." _

Too hungry to do anything else, the Dreemurrs began to eat. Asriel notified Asgore that he still had some snow in his beard, which led to the King laughing and complaining about Snowdin Town's stubborn weather.

"You were in Snowdin today, Dad? I thought you were at the CORE."

"Well, yes," Asgore explained as he pushed a piece of toasted bread through the sea of corn on his plate, "but the Doctor and his crew seem to have everything under control. You guys know him, such a perfectionist! I just went to Snowdin Town to say hello to some people."

The Queen's interest was half-piqued. "Did you remember to drop off our gift to Mr. Grillby, Gorey?"

"Oh, of course! What a wonderful chap he is. He wanted to refuse that lovely jukebox, insisting that he would break it the first time he tried to adjust any of the settings. Golly, what a rascal! We must go to his little restaurant more often." The King's words were cheerful, but there was an uncomfortable, awkward rush behind them that immediately set Chara oh high-alert. The human leaned forward in his seat, analyzing the fogginess behind Asgore's eyes and tension around his mouth.

"Mr. King Dad? Is that really the only reason you went to Snowdin?"

Chara's voice was both inaudible and deafening. A weight seemed to settle on the King's shoulders, and Toriel reached out to comfort him. Whatever it was, the Queen and King were bearing it together.

"Let's have this discussion later, boys."

Chara and Asriel looked at each other, then shrugged. Whatever. They were both more interested in finding out what the mysterious, covered dish was than hearing the details of Asgore's royal rounds.

A few more minutes passed in silence. Light of unknown origin filtered weakly through the windows and illuminated floating dust motes. The smell of cut grass melded with the aroma of cream and toasted bread. Chara quickly finished his plate and pushed it to the center of the table, giving Toriel an expectant look.

"Haha! Of course it is you who finished first, my lovely Chara. You may go ahead and unveil this mystery dish."

Chara leaned across the table and lifted the tin cover, face irradiating in delight when he realized what the "mystery dish" was. A spongy brick of pound cake, dusted generously with sugar and complete with a ruby strawberry on the top, sat proudly on the silver platter. An assortment of thank-yous and you're-the-bests resounded as Toriel blushed in delight.

"I am happy to see you all so excited. Now, just  _ cake _ back and enjoy!"

The sound of gratitude was replaced by the sound of groaning. Toriel giggled and reached for a knife to cut the cake with.

"Gorey, you and Asriel have a sparring session today, correct?" The Queen asked as she slid a thick portion of cake onto Asgore's now-spotless plate.

"Well, yes. That was the plan. Right, Asriel?" Vehement nodding on the goat boy's part validified the statement. The two looked back at Toriel, waiting curiously for her to continue.

"I have two requests. First of all, please limit your session to exactly one hour and a half." Toriel ignored their protests and doggedly continued as she gave Chara his slice of cake. "You both will have very long days tomorrow and need to get plenty of rest. I will not have a sleepy son sloshing about in Waterfall, or a sleepy husband knocking over delicate machinery in the CORE. Furthermore, we may have a guest tonight. You all must be presentable if that occasion is to pass. Do you two understand?"

Mumbled groans in vague expressions of consent were the only reply Toriel received.

"Very well. I will hold you two to this agreement. My second request is that you take Chara as a spectator today. I believe that he is finally in good enough health to accompany you both."

Asriel and Asgore got to their feet and whooped in excitement; clearly, the second part of the petition was much more agreeable than the first. For almost the entirety of the past two months, Toriel's son and husband had begged her to let Chara watch their sparring sessions, only to be shooed away and told it wasn't the right time. This was an unexpected victory for all parties involved.

"Go- _ lly,  _ Chara! Aren't you excited?"

The human nodded slowly, not looking up from his half-eaten cake.

»»-««

Chara pulled the tarp carefully over the two thrones. It felt strange, almost blasphemous, for the two massive chairs to be relegated to a corner of the throne room, but it was the only way there would be enough room for Asgore and Asriel to fight. No, not fight.  _ Spar _ . The concept was still foreign to Chara - just like everything else in the Underground - but it almost made sense that Asriel would need these one-on-one training sessions. Almost. There wasn't anything to train for, but Toriel said it was imperative a king prepare for any situation.

With a sigh, the human pulled himself up onto one of the thrones. The tarp squeaked angrily underneath him, and Chara gave the two goats a thumbs-up. That was the signal they'd chosen; only after poor,  _ delicate  _ Chara was coddled in the corner of a room could they proceed with their lesson. 

Chara swallowed the hot ball of discontent at the back of his throat. 

The Prince flashed a brilliant smile at the human before pressing his shoulders downwards, puffing up his chest, and clenching his fists.

He always did that when he had something to prove.

"Alrighty, Dad! You ready?"

"Always."

Asriel pressed a leg behind him and closed his eyes, multicolored light materializing around his paws and hardening into the shape of daggers.  _ Wow _ . This was already shaping up to be more interesting than Chara had expected. The human watched with poorly disguised fascination as the goat boy charged towards his father, blades crossed and head down.

Only to be blocked effortlessly by a ruby trident.

Small feet on the floor lost balance and slipped on an oily patch of forget-me-nots. Asriel looked up in frustration, his face colored a curious color of crimson and eyes unable to make contact with either Asgore and Chara.

"My son, I admire your zeal. But - oh, here, get up." Asgore clasped his massive paw around Asriel's own and pulled the Prince to his feet. "Now listen to me, do not try to attack an opponent head-on unless you are sure that they are either physically weaker than you or unable to block. At least for the time being. As circumstances change, so will your attack patterns and magical abilities. Understand?"

Asriel nodded.

"Now, you might want to stand back, son. Chara, make sure to lift your legs off the ground for this one." Both boys followed through with their respective assignments and looked to the King, one with curiosity and the other with hardened expectation.

An array of flames, each the size of a teacup, flickered to life in front of Asgore. Enraptured, Chara leaned so far forward in his seat that he nearly slid off, hastily scrambling backward to press his back to the chair when he saw the tongues of fire fan out across the floor. A small buzz of gratefulness hummed under his skin - it was a good thing he'd drawn back his feet in time. He wasn't a fan of burned shoes or feet, for that matter.

Chara's amazement grew triple-fold when he saw how deftly Asriel dodged the fiery bullet attack. The Prince spun to the right to avoid the first wave, then trotted forward and backward to circumvent the straggling flames. Only one or two of the attacks made any purchase. Even at that, all they did was leave Asriel with gently-browned fur around his ankles. Clearly, Asgore's attacks were all bark and no bite.

"Great job, Azzy!" Chara cried out.

Asriel's sweating, determined face illuminated in surprise. He turned towards Chara, his entire face glowing, and waved so violently it was a small mercy that his arm didn't break off.

The clinking of swords, flashing of light, twinkle of fire, and aroma of pollen defined the next few hours. Or was it minutes? Seconds? The human's sense of time was lost to his overwhelming, acute preoccupation with the scene in front of him.

It was beautiful how light and elegant Asriel was on his feet - the way it juxtaposed with Asgore's severe, slow movements only emphasized their relationship as father and son, tutor and tutee. Chara gripped the covered throne armrests when Asriel slipped on his back or got singed by one, or a handful, of fire attacks, relaxing in place when he got back up again.

Whatever the Prince had wanted to prove, it seemed like he'd done it.

Nobody noticed the furious, cross-armed figure in the doorway until it walked straight into the middle of the throne room. Asgore and Asriel hurried to stifle their magic attacks and, upon recognizing the figure, hung their heads in shame.

"Asgore and Asriel, do you know how long you have been out here?" Toriel demanded.

The two looked at each other.

"One hour and thirty minutes?" Asgore suggested. Chara hid a grin behind his hand and waited for the impending explosion.

"Asgore Dreemurr! I do not appreciate your cheekiness. You three have been out here for one hour and  _ forty-seven  _ minutes! That was not the agreement we had, gentlemen."

Chara, Asgore, and Asriel relaxed. That could have been  _ so  _ much worse.

" _ And,"  _ Toriel continued tartly, "the Royal Scientist has been sitting in our living room for the past fifteen minutes waiting to speak to you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, things are starting to get spicy! What kind of Gaster are we going to meet in this story? Badster? Dadster? Madster? Glad you asked. Hopefully, the next chapter will answer that question!


	6. The Barrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chara meets someone who sees right through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Here is the RecommendedVibe(TM) for this one. Yes, it's another Zelda soundtrack. And yes, it's extremely good! --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpVRNZaLuRc  
> By the way, whoever can find the (extremely vague) biblical reference in this chapter gets a shout out in the next one! If you need a hint, all I'll tell you is that the source inspiration is somewhere in the first 20 chapters of 1 Samuel...  
> Also, shout out to JoSeBach on FFN who let me know that the golden flowers in the game typically have only 5 petals...I mistakenly wrote six because I was using Flowey as a reference. Moral of the story, don't use Flowey as a reference for anything.  
> Anyway, to the story! Hope you enjoy!

Chara shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He tugged down the silk pajama shirt that had slid up to his ribs and pressed his ear to the wall. The murmurs from the kitchen were barely audible.

Disappointing.

He hadn't even gotten a glimpse of the elusive Royal Scientist when Toriel rushed them from the throne room to the house. A request to get to bed as quickly as possible was all the Queen left them with before hurrying into the living room. Of course, Asriel had followed her instructions without a second thought, and Chara had been obligated to do the same.

"Chara, you awake?"

"No."

"Oh, sorry." It took a few seconds for the lightbulb over Asriel's head to go off. "Wait. Haha, oh, Chara! you got me!" As usual, no response. Asriel sat up and pushed one of his stuffed animals to the side, blinking when the lamplight crashed into his dilated pupils. Gosh. If only the lamp had a brightness setting or something, he mused as his attention drifted back to the opposite side of the room. The lumpiness of Chara's blanket was the only thing that indicated the human's presence. The fur of his forehead crumpled in concern. "Is their conversation keeping you awake? They are pretty loud. I can go ask them to lower their voice if you want."

"No." Chara's bed squeaked as he turned to face Asriel. "What are they talking about?"

"The barrier, I guess. The Doctor comes over every now and then to study it. Take pictures and samples and things like that."

"What's his name?"

"Who? Oh, yeah. Uh, Dr. W.D. Gaster. You gotta say it all-important sounding for it to count." Chara's snickers were mostly muffled by the distance between them and the animated conversation from the kitchen, but Asriel was encouraged nonetheless. Everyone had their pleasure of choice, his was seeing Chara happy.

"Why is he in your house if he wants to study the barrier?"

"Because it's here."

Chara rolled his eyes, more out of habit than to communicate dissatisfaction with Asriel's answer. It was too dark for that, anyway. "And in other news, Snowdin is cold, and Hotland is hot. Seriously. Why is he here?"

"N-no, aha, gosh. I shoulda explained this to you earlier." Asriel slung an arm over his bed's headboard and slouched on it. "I mean that the barrier itself is behind the throne room. Well, not exactly behind the throne room; you gotta go forward and take two rights or something like that. That's what I meant by the barrier being  _ here,  _ you know? Dr. Gaster needs to pass through the house to get there - if that's why he's here in the first place - just like monsters sometimes come by the house to get to the throne room. Maybe he just came to ask Mom and Dad permission to visit the barrier. Even though it's taking him a  _ really  _ long time to do that." The Prince scratched his stomach and turned to Chara. "Does that make sense?"

Crumpling and uncrumpling his cashmere blanket between his fingers, Chara dissected this new information. How had he not known this? The barrier, the bane of every monster's existence, was right behind the throne room? He shivered, and as a new plan started to form in his head, shivered again. Mental gears clicked in rapid succession.

This was much more convenient than he'd realized.

"I want to see it."

"The barrier?" Asriel asked through a yawn.

"Yes. Are you going to help me?"

"Of cour-wait. Now? No! It's almost ten!" No response. The muscles in Asriel's neck tightened; his blood flushed with adrenaline. Chara couldn't possibly think this was a good time for such a trip, right? "We'll get in trouble! This is a horrible idea. Just, just think about it. We're going to be so tired tomorrow! You won't be able to enjoy your time in Waterfall!" The human remained unresponsive and unperturbed. Asriel's voice climbed up an octave. "You can't actually be considering this. Are you serious? What if Mom comes in and catches us?"

"Asriel."

"Go- _ lly,  _ Chara," the Prince exclaimed in a forced whisper, "don't 'Asriel' me! Why can't you just wait until tomorrow? It's not like the barrier is gonna disappear overnight."

The voices in the living room grew louder. Chara made a weird grunting noise.

"I wish it would." The human sighed and leaned back on a pillow, staring at the green glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. "I can't expect you to understand."

"Wait, no! I'll understand." Why did Chara never answer him? Another wave of adrenaline pumped through Asriel's veins. Hastily tossing aside his blanket and crossing the small distance between them with hushed steps, the Prince settled onto the edge of Chara's bed. He placed his paws on his lap and looked earnestly at his companion. "Chara. Please. Explain to me what's on your mind. Why do you want to do this? You can tell me anything."

The silence lasted for a thousand years before Chara spoke again.

"Do you want to know what the surface is like?"

The muscles in Asriel's face grew slack with surprise. He had wanted an answer to that question since he met the human, but never felt it was the right time to ask.

"Well, yeah," he whispered, "if you feel comfortable sharing."

Chara sat up and pressed his back to the wall. The only part of his face the lamplight touched were the glistening patches of coconut oil on Chara's cheeks - a new nighttime ointment Toriel had made to treat his eczema. The human turned his head in Asriel's direction, expression unreadable.

"Down here, there's always the same amount of light no matter what time of day it is. On the surface, it's the opposite. You can tell if it's nighttime or daytime just by how bright it is outside." A muscle deep in Chara's chest stung when he heard Asriel gasp; he pushed the feeling away. "There are lots of flowers too. In my village, there were these big golden ones that would bloom all year round - they always had exactly five petals. Not just those flowers, though. Imagine your front yard, with all the flowers and colors, but spread as far as the eye could see. That's what the whole world was like after it rained, real rain from the sky and the clouds above. And there was no ceiling, unlike here. If you laid on your back at night, outside in the open, you could see all the way into space."

This time it was Asriel who took a few seconds to respond.

"Are you serious? Is that real?"

"Yes."

The Prince pressed his paws to his muzzle, frozen in awe. Could the world outside  _ really  _ be that beautiful? He'd seen art of the surface before, paintings, and sketches from some war veterans who were artistically inclined. But this was something else! This was the new, fresh testimony of someone just from the surface!  _ Just from the surface! _

Just from the surface.

Just

from

the

surface

.

Everything suddenly made sense. Of course, Chara couldn't wait to see the barrier. Asriel reached out and grasped the human's hands in his paws.

"I'm so sorry, Chara." 

Chara flinched.

"What."

"Those memories must be painful," the Prince whispered. It was getting harder and harder to stifle the secondhand grief building in his chest. "You lost so much when you fell. I understand now why you're in such a rush to see the barrier, even though you can't pass through, it's the closest you'll probably get to the Surface ever again, I-I'm sorry you're stuck here. I-I'm, aha, _so_ _sorry._ "

"No need to be sorry. I'm not. "

"How?" Tears streamed down Asriel's face and flattened the fur in its way. "Why? How can you bear living in such a small, dark, grey world after everything you've seen?"

"Not everything up there was good. The humans up there...they're pure evil. If any race should be trapped down here, it should be them. Monsters should be the ones on the surface."

"I don't think that's true. I think humans can be good. Nobody needs to be trapped Underground." Asriel found his optimism returning and desperately clung to it. "You know, I think everybody can be friends!"

"You watch too much of that idiotic show."

"Okay, first of all, FlowerRangers™ is not an idiotic show. It's actually really good. And friendship and mercy is  _ always  _ a better alternative to violence." Asriel sighed and looked at the forlorn stuffed animal lying on his bed. "Listen. How can everything you said about humans be true when you're so kind and patient and good to me? You know you're my best friend, right?"

If the light had only been a little stronger, Asriel would have seen the involuntary flicker of Chara's eyebrows and the intelligent glitter in the human's dark eyes.

"If you're my best friend, you'd help me see the barrier tonight."

"Well..." Asriel looked up at the glowing decals on the ceiling for help and sighed when no advice came. "Of course. I got your back. But, but  _ how?  _ Mom and Dad might still be outside! What if we walk all the way to the barrier and find that they're there with Dr. Gaster? What'll happen th-"

Asriel nearly lept back into bed when the sound of footsteps approached the door. Both of the boys slid underneath their covers and jammed their eyes shut, the Prince remembering to shut off his lamplight in a brief surge of genius. The footsteps stopped in front of the door, and fragments of conversation from beyond the wall could be heard.

"Tori, did you have to tell him about-"

"-could not have avoided it forever"

"You know how hard he takes it when a monster Falls Down, it's as if-"

The voices and footsteps were in front of the door for only a heartbeat, then continued down the hall. Chara snorted in frustration, it was as if some cosmic being refused to let him hear any more than three seconds of this conversation!

"-so  _ so  _ sorry-"

"It's okay-"

"Just a minute - children - cup of water."

The door creaked open, and a scalene triangle of light spilled into the room. Toriel's figure, backlighted from the hallway, slipped between the open door. The woman placed two glasses of water on the dresser with a faint clink and kissed both of the children goodnight, eyes lingering on them before she hurried back out.

Asriel and Chara held their breath and counted to one thousand, relaxing when they heard the creak and lock of two doors.

The Prince flicked the lamp's pull-chain downward, and the pathetic yellow bulb flickered to life. He turned to face Chara.

"I don't want to do this."

"Then don't. I'll go alone. You won't be doing anything wrong." Chara tossed off his blanket and eased open the closet doors. He pulled out an ankle-length cotton poncho and slipped it over his head before gesturing for Asriel's attention. "Pass me one of those stuffed animals."

With practiced aim, Asriel tossed one of his life-sized plushies in Chara's direction. The human caught it in one hand and slipped it under his blanket. One of his extra pillows was stuffed underneath as well, Chara molding the silhouette until it looked approximately like a sleeping child. He stepped aside to showcase his creation to Asriel.

"Whoa," the Prince whispered, "that's really clever! If Mom comes in again, she won't even know that's not you!"

"That's the point," Chara mumbled as he shut the closet. He grabbed a pair of boots from the foot of his bed but didn't put them on, instead hooking them on his fingers. Asriel spoke up before Chara slipped out.

"W-wait! Chara! Why aren't you wearing your shoes? Your feet will get really cold."

Chara squinted at him, but whether from lack of light or lack of patience was impossible to tell.

"I'll put them on once I'm in the basement and out of earshot. Bare feet are quieter than boots. And, lower your voice." Chara eased the door open with a bony foot and waved to the wide-eyed goat. "See you later, Azzy."

»»-««

What was going on with this bad feeling?

Chara hovered in front of the black archway. Legs refused to move and fists refused to unclench; he shivered even though he wasn't cold. What exactly was going on with him? He'd successfully sneaked out of the house and all the way to the barrier's entrance without so much as making a sound - there was no reason for this wimpish, childish shaking.

No matter. There was a task at hand Chara was determined to see to the end. He gripped the boots in his hands a little tighter - the feeling of cold tile on bare feet had been too exhilarating to have put them on earlier - and stepped through the doorway with a determined huff.

A living, moving, monochrome tunnel of light stood before him. He blinked rapidly as the world flickered and spun and wooshed around him, light and dark spilling from his fingers and slipping from the cracks between.

The barrier.

This magic was disgusting.

Exactly the sort of curse humans would cast.

Chara watched the barrier shudder and spin and shake for a few more seconds before making a decision. He would break it. He would free monsterkind, no matter what it cost him.

The echo of his voice suggested he'd been speaking out loud.

The response of another voice behind him confirmed it.

"You are not the first to make such a promise, and certainly not the last fated to break it."

Chara shrieked and tossed his shoes in the voice's general direction. The barrier suddenly flashed white, exposing the impossibly slender figure standing just to the right of where his boots lay on the floor.

It turned its focus from the abandoned footwear to Chara.

Black, pit-like eyes, one half-shut in a permanent crescent, scrutinized him through a pair of glasses. An expression that looked like a cross between disgust and amusement distorted an already horrifying, flat face. A purple clipboard rested in the crook of its elbow, a pen twirling between gloved fingers.

Chara screamed again.

What  _ was  _ that?

"This is simply the reality of things. Sad, but true. There is no need for you to make such a fuss about it."

"D-don't touch me."

Chara cringed. He sounded like Asriel.

"I have no interest in you. If you're going to be here while I conduct my research, so be it. Do not make any more noise than you need to."

Chara's eyes grew wide in amazement. He probably looked like Asriel now, too.

"Aren't you supposed to be Dr. W.D. Gaster?"

The barrier flickered black and white as if vying for attention.

"Yes." Gaster cast a disinterested glance at Chara, focus quickly redirecting itself back to the clipboard. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

The adrenaline melted away, and the human stifled a grin. This guy was  _ quick _ . He was quicker, though. Chara pulled his eyes away from the barrier's hypnotic coruscation and glared at Gaster.

"I  _ will  _ break this barrier one day, you know."

No response. Gaster continued writing on the clipboard. Chara wasn't used to being the one on the other end of the silent treatment and was quickly finding that he didn't like it.

"I care about monsterkind. I'm different from other humans."

A shivering, distorted noise that sounded more like a corrupted audio file than the snort it was meant to burst from the scientist. Fine brown hairs on Chara's neck stood up.

"Do not flatter yourself by thinking you're an anomaly. Leave the barrier-breaking to those with the determination, drive, and intelligence to do so."

Chara's face grew red and angry words shot out before he could catch them.

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Yes."

Without so much more as another look at the human, Gaster circled something on his clipboard and turned away. His floor-length black coat trailed behind him and disappeared when he crossed through the black archway.

And Chara was alone again.

He scooped up his shoes and sprinted after Gaster, blinking back hot tears when he found himself equally alone in the grey hallway.

He spent too much time with that crybaby of a Prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie! I spent so long trying to find out how to introduce Gaster I barely had time to actually write the chapter. Now that I guess I've settled on reticent, edgelord Wingus Dingus, this should be easier from here on out.  
> On the more serious side, I just wanted to let you all know that next week and the week after might be seeing slower updates. There are a lot of standardized tests going on here in the US during that time, and I gotta study. I'll keep you all updated as time goes on.


	7. The Babysitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara has some questions for a war vet with a curious lack of grudges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well and staying safe during this crazy time. Please enjoy this next chapter! It took forever and a half to write, so let me know if you have any thoughts or concrit for it.  
> Here is the RecommendedVibe(TM) for this chapter! If you can, listen to this awesome track until the first scene change, which is notated by a "»»————- ♡ ————-««." 
> 
> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw_nC1kStmw&list=PLRk7EGb4McZ9UUl_CjZrZzPXSAa1o_5f8&index=33)
> 
> If you want something more cheery and upbeat to match the feeling of the second and third scene, try listening to this after the first scene change 
> 
> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lORfuZsjNYs&list=RDlORfuZsjNYs&start_radio=1)
> 
> Before I go, I wanted to give a shoutout to MyWritingisMeh for two things: first, they got the Bible reference correct! Second, I just wanted to thank them for all their incredibly encouraging comments. I get unreasonably excited whenever I see a comment notification in my inbox, and it's one factor that helps me keep this story on it's stressful schedule.  
> Anyways, to the story!

Thick water droplets slid off Chara's raincoat and disappeared into the indigo rocks underneath his boots. The straps of his backpack bit into his shoulders, weighed down by the copious amounts of books, snacks, and toys Toriel had equipped him with. 

" _ This  _ is Waterfall," Asriel announced as he skipped ahead and spread his arms above his head, "isn't it beautiful? I can't wait to show you around. We're going to have so much fun! If we're really good, maybe Gerson will let us swim in the room with all the bridge seeds! C'mon, let's go!" 

"Just a minute." 

Chara leaned against the wall, waiting for the fiery pins-and-needles in his legs to go away. This was what happened when he tried to nap on the Riverkid's infuriatingly tiny boat. There was hardly enough room for the helmsperson alone, much less for two sleepy children, and nerves were going to be pinched no matter how economical one was with their limbs. Chara had learned this the hard way. 

"Hey, are you alright?" 

"Fine. I'm fine." 

"You sure?" Asriel's sincere expression was hard to take seriously considering that his bright yellow raincoat made him resemble a banana more than a prince, and Chara notified him as such. Taking the brief moment Asriel spent giggling and verifying Chara's statement by checking his reflection in a puddle nearby, the human pushed himself off the wall and onto two feet. It hurt, but that was fine. He was fine. He insisted as such when Asriel remembered his earlier preoccupation and fawned again over his human friend. 

"You sure? I can ask Gerson to carry you inside i--" 

"I'm  **fine.** " 

Asriel flinched at the sudden ice in Chara's voice, and a hot, uncomfortable feeling oozed under Chara's skin. Ugh. Maybe he shouldn't have been so forward...oh great, and now the Crybaby Prince was blinking back tears. Always laughing or crying; did he ever experience an emotion between the two? Disgust crept up Chara's throat and soured his saliva. 

"You two goin' to come in the shop? It's a lot less wet in here." 

Both boys were jolted from their thoughts by the quavering, friendly voice behind them, turning quickly to identify the speaker. 

Gerson. He looked even older in real life than he had on his Citizen Card, clad in a strange outfit more suitable for an archeologist than a storekeeper. Waving to the boys from an opening in the wall with a weathered sign reading "Gerson's" swinging above it, he urged them again to come inside. Asriel shouted an assortment of greetings and skipped towards the shop, leaving Chara to stand alone in a massive puddle. The inky water trembled from the sudden disturbance and sloshed around the human's boots. Tossing a glare at his reflection, Chara hurried after the Prince.

"Finally! You two mighta caught something nasty standing in that rain," Gerson asserted as the kids scurried inside. Flicking the light switch on, he continued, "gotta be careful out there. Take off those wet clothes, if you like. And settle in! I made some neat snacks for you kids, let me get 'em real quick." The turtle hobbled over to a makeshift table sandwiched between the shop counter and a bookshelf groaning under the weight of the tomes crammed into it. "How long you two gonna be here today?" 

"Mom and Dad are at one of those briefing meetings at the CORE," Asriel explained as he slipped off his boots and placed them under the shop counter, hooking his coat on an irregularly-shaped stone jutting out of the wall. "They said it's important that they go to this one because the monthly meeting is next week, and my parents haven't heard much from the scientists since the last one." Gerson nodded sagely to himself as Chara copied the motions Asriel had just gone through. 

"So I'm takin' in that your folks will be here somewhere around...half past forever?" the turtle quipped as he passed Chara and Asriel a packet of crab apples and a juice-box, sitting down on the upturned box in front of the store counter with a happy grunt. Asriel giggled and nodded, saying that the old storekeeper had summarized the situation pretty well. 

There was a distinct air of familiarity in the room that Chara was painfully excluded from. The human wondered how often the King and Queen dropped their son off here...obviously well enough for the Prince to feel comfortable sitting in Gerson's lap, as he was presently doing. Chara winced. He looked away and sat on the floor, digging through his backpack for something to distract himself with. 

"You know, Asriel," Gerson said between apple bites, "you haven't introduced me to your new brother." 

"Oh yeah!" Asriel lept off Gerson's lap and walked over to Chara, tossing his paws in front of him and shaking them in a vague impression of jazz hands. "This is Chara! He's not exactly my brother yet, but he's my best friend in the whole world!" A warm feeling spread in Chara's chest as the Prince continued. It was amazing how quickly Asriel forgot their squabbles. "Every day is a sleepover with him around!" 

"Wahaha! Sweet as ever, that's our Asriel!" Gerson's smile faded, and his cataratic gaze focused on the shadow crouched behind Asriel. "Well, Chara, no need to be shy. I don't bite! Look, I've barely got any teeth!" Pointing at his mouth to emphasize the point, Gerson's features softened when Chara tensed. "Oh, didn't mean to scare you, kiddo. Here, if you're that tense, you can sit in the hammock. Maybe you'll feel a little better if you had a snack and a nap, it's really early anyway." 

The hammock? What hammock? This place was already crammed to the brim with books and maps and upturned boxes and historical paraphernalia. Chara's eyes followed Gerson's pointed finger to the back of the restaurant, where, indeed, a small hammock stuffed with pillows hung between two posts. He turned the proposition over in his mind for a split second; he was in a stranger's house (slash shop) and had a familiar sense of unease forcing his eyelids apart...but that hammock did look comfortable. With one quick, curt nod, Chara agreed. If he couldn't sleep, so what? At least he'd be warm. And Asriel would be there to keep an eye on him.

"Alrighty kiddo, make yourself at home. Let me turn on the little light there first, so you have something to read or draw by if that fits your fancy." With a grunt, the ancient turtle stood up and hobbled over to the hammock, absent-mindedly fluffing the pillows before patting a wall mushroom with one hand. It flickered to life and cast a soft, blue glow over the makeshift bed. 

How could something so simple and silly look so cozy? Before another thought slipped into his mind, Chara found himself swallowed in cushions and blankets, the curve of his spine cradled by the rough cloth of the hammock.

"Aw, Chara! You didn't leave any space for me." Asriel bemoaned, the content smile on his face betraying the fact that he was much happier to see his friend comfortable than anything else. Patting the pillow next to him and scooting over, Chara invited the goat to slip in next to them. The hammock groaned under their weight but grumbled no threats to snap. Asriel nuzzled up to Chara, eyes flickering to the glowing mushroom above them, then requested a story from the storekeeper. 

The turtle rolled his eyes and smiled. "Is this what I get for offering my hammock to you little rascals? I have a store to run! I might even get a customer today, you never know!" 

"Gerson! C'mon.  _ Please?  _ You tell the best stories in the Underground! _ "  _ The Prince's lower lip trembled dramatically and he pressed clasped paws to his chin. 

"Fine, fine. What story do you want to hear?" The scuffing of wood on stone accompanied Gerson as he pulled a rocking chair out some obscure corner of the store and settled into it. 

The contours of the Prince's fluffy face contorted in thought. Unable to think of anything satisfying, he tapped Chara on the shoulder and asked for his input. The hammock creaked underneath them, the sound of scuttling paper following the stray gust of wind that skittered into the store. 

A sudden scratching sound coming from behind the store counter caused both Asriel and Chara to jolt, subconsciously forcing the blanket to the wall. Gerson only sighed. 

"Someone's here. And not even a customer, I bet. Asriel, you owe me five gold if it's a Temmie!" 

"Aw, Gerson! No fair! I don't even have any money." The turtle just cackled and walked away, joints trembling with rheumatism, and leaned over the store counter. With a discontented huff, Asriel crossed his arms and carefully gauged Gerson's reaction to the mysterious pseudo-customer. He groaned loudly when the storekeeper tossed him a confident grin and demanded his five gold. 

"What I'd say, whippersnapper? Anyway, Asriel, it looks like this one has something to say to you." 

Tossing Chara a confused look that much have matched the human's own, Asriel slipped out of the hammock and padded across the store. He hoisted himself over the counter and peered below. His smile reverberated when he saw the small creature looking up at him. 

"Hey, Mr. Bob! Boy, I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you doing?" 

Chara peered curiously at the developing situation, too lazy to get out of the sea of pillows but too intrigued to pay it no mind. All he could hear was Asriel's side of the conversation and Gerson's occasional 'wahaha.' 

"What's that? Golly. I'd love to! Now? Uh, sure! Let me ask Gerson." The storekeeper nodded before Asriel opened his mouth again. Wrapping the old turtle in a hug and slipping his coat, boots, and abandoned backpack back on, Asriel waved goodbye to Chara and slid over the counter. The sound of his receding footsteps melted into the rain's incessant pitter-patter. 

All breath in the human's throat grew hot and stifling when he realized Asriel wasn't immediately coming back. The hammock wasn't comfortable anymore. He blinked quickly, then remembered himself; wait, he didn't cry! He wasn't a crybaby. This was fine. It was okay. His face scrunched in focus as he shoved the bad feeling to the bottom of his stomach. 

"Hey, kiddo. Doin' alright over there? If those apples upset your stomach, I got some sea tea to settle it right back down," Gerson suggested as he leaned against the counter. With trembling fingers Chara combed his roguish bangs and pulled them to the back of his head, twisting his hair into a ponytail and pinning it up with an elastic band he had around his wrist. Suddenly remembering Gerson's question, Chara shook his head and relaxed against the pillows, wordlessly insisting on his complete tranquility. 

The turtle sighed and settled back down into his rocking chair, giving Chara and anxious look. Something was said about Asriel only being gone for a few minutes to catch up with some Waterfall locals. Chara didn't hear it. He was too busy pretending to be interested in his fingernails. Gerson's rocking chair squeaked gently. 

"Chara. Do you hear me? He'll be back soon, no reason to get worked up. Be honest, you feelin' alright?" 

The pillows shifted, and the human pressed himself farther into them. What was the best way to get the focus off of him? To make it seem like he was alright? An idea sparked to life in his subconscious, and Chara turned to face the storekeeper. He swallowed a wad of saliva to cool the rusty muscles in his throat.

"I don't know, Gerson. It seems like the turtle's got my tongue." Chara shifted his weight onto his elbows and made two pathetic finger-guns at Gerson, genuinely shocked when the ancient turtle burst out into laughter. 

"Wahaha! You're sharper than you made yourself out to be. But don't worry, I don't keep human tongues around. They don't sell well." 

Chara began to laugh, but the sound caught itself in his throat. 

**Wait.**

How did Gerson know he was a human? 

For the entirety of the two months he'd spend Underground, the only monsters who'd even known what he actually was were the Dreemuurs, Dr. Gaster...and  _ maybe  _ that creepy bartender back in Snowdin. The monsters he'd met in Hotland, New Home, and even in the throne room had always regarded Chara as just another kind of monster they'd never seen before.

The tightness around his chest threatened to crush his delicate ribs into a fine powder. 

"Oh, don't look so surprised. I've been around for a long time, kiddo, much longer than I shoulda. I sorta pick up on these things, you know?" 

The only response was the dark, mistrustful fog in Chara's eyes. Gerson leaned back into his rocking chair and smiled. Poor kid. 

_ Drip.  _

_ Drip.  _

_ Drip.  _

"Why didn't you just kill me?" 

The raspy words fell onto the floor in dead, monotone clumps, coming out more like an accusation than a question. 

"Wha? Kill you? Wahaha! Why would I do that?" 

"I'm a human. My kind -- they've done terrible things to you all." Chara turned to face Gerson. Watery eyes glittered blue from the glowing mushroom above. "I don't need to explain this to you." 

_ Drip.  _

_ Drip.  _

_ Drip.  _

The rain outside fell down in hesitant, careful drops as if awaiting Gerson's answer. 

After a few tense moments, the rocking chair began to sway again.

"Listen here, Chara. I'm guessin' from your statement that you know a good deal about the war between monsters and humans, right?" With a slow, awkward nod, Chara confirmed this statement. "I was a fighter on the front lines during the war. Yup. That old! Coulda' ridden a dinosaur or two in my day. But, believe it or not, those days to me feel like just as long ago as they might feel to you; you can't really fathom how long 1,000 years is, and neither can I. I've had much more time than I deserved to sit back and think. The emotions that tormented me back then have no sway on me now. There is no anger or hatred left in my heart. It's been a very,  _ very  _ long time." 

The smell of wet stone filled Chara's nostrils. 

"I'm not going to hurt you, Chara. Nobody down here will." 

_ Drip.  _

_ Drip.  _

_ Drip. _

"Gerson." 

"Mmhm?" 

"I have some questions." 

"Go 'head!"

"What do you know about the war? The barrier? And those scientists that are trying to break it?" 

"Oh, you might want to settle in for this one. Lemme tell you, I'm one heck of a historian! It's hard to get it details and dates wrong when you've lived through most of it yourself. So, it all started with one of the young monsters from our village…" 

»»————- ♡ ————-«« 

Asriel pulled back his hood and laughed as he splashed through a puddle bigger than his living room. A box of Temmie flakes jangled under his arm -- if he had been less focused on hurrying back to Gerson and Chara, he would have wondered what the weird cereal was made out of to make such a metallic clinking sound. 

Brain musing on Temmie Flakes and Bob, a resolution formed in his mind. Letting the human miss out on Temmie Village on his first visit to Waterfall would be unacceptable! Why hadn't Gerson taken him there before? It was only a few rooms to the right, and then...wait. What exactly were the directions again? Asriel tossed a nervous glance around himself. How did he get in this place? He wasn't lost...he knew how to get to Gerson's from here. But where had he come from? 

Gosh. He'd  _ already  _ forgotten the directions to Temmie Village. Looks like he'd just have to wait until he bumped into Bob or one of the other, less-articulate Temmie's. Oh well! 

He slit open the cardboard top of the Temmie Flakes box with a claw and shoved some of the sugary crisps into his mouth. Man, it was gorgeous here. At least if he couldn't take Chara to Temmie Village, they could go swimming in the bridge seed room. The rain had just stopped, and a comfortable humidity had settled onto the indigo stone beneath; perfect swimming weather! 

"I'm back!" Asriel announced as he walked into Gerson's shop. 

"And that's how -- AH! Oh, Asriel! Wahaha! Didn't see you slip in, you sneaky kiddo. D'ya have a good time in Temmie Village?" 

"The craziest!" Asriel asserted as he munched on his Temmie Flakes. "Boy, those Temmie's are a really interesting bunch. Bob taught me how to draw this weird star -- one with five points -- and when we did that, he put candles on each of the points. There was also one in the middle. Then he sang this weird song, but I forgot how it goes. I think he expected something to happen, but nothing did, so he got really sad. So I gave him a granola bar I had. It was sort of crushed from being in my pocket, but I think it cheered him up -- he even bought me these Temmie Flakes as a gift!" 

Gerson's face was twisted into an unreadable expression. 

"So," the Prince continued, "what did you guys do?" 

This seemed to be a much better conversation starter. The shopkeeper relaxed back into his rocking chair and patted his lap, which Asriel climbed into after peeling off his soaked raincoat. 

"Chara, how 'bout you tell him?" 

The hammock shivered. Chara's head popped up from under copious layers of blankets, pillows, and leather-bound books. 

"Gerson told me about The War and the Barrier. And the scientists. Then he told me about all the silly things you did when you were just a little baby goat." Chara pressed his forefingers and thumb together to emphasize just how little the aforementioned baby goat was, giggling when Asriel burst into angry protests. 

"Why would you do that?!" Asriel asked Gerson. 

"Wahaha! What could I do, kiddo? You were out for a good long while! Your brother's the real determined type -- he wouldn't let me go when he figured I had this info! And every tea party needs some gossip, you know," the shop keeper explained as he gestured to the cups of Sea Tea he and Chara held in their hands. 

"Boy, you guys drive me  _ crazy!"  _ Laughter was the only response he got. Asriel rolled his eyes. " _ Anyway,  _ can we go swimming? The rain outside stopped, and it's warmed up a little bit. Whaddya say, Gerson?" 

"Sounds like a great idea to me. Chara?" 

The human nodded amicably, and Asriel pumped a fist in the air. 

»»————- ♡ ————-«« 

"Marco!" 

Silence. 

"Chara, you're supposed to say 'polo'!" Asriel scrunched his eyes shut even further to resist the temptation to open them and cheat. Warm water drifted around his midsection and pressed his nylon trunks to his legs; his legs were already getting sore from treading water for the past half-hour.

"But that makes it easier for you to find me." 

"Wha-! That's the point!" 

"Okay." 

"Alright. Marco!" 

"Polo." 

The voice came from right next to Asriel, and the Prince swung out his paw in the spot he assumed Chara to be in. Jackpot! Asriel opened his eyes and beamed at the human, who was clutching his bruised forearm with a blank look on his face. 

"Gotcha!" 

"Why did you hit me?" 

"Oh, uh, sorry! I didn't mean to hit you. I just wasn't sure where you were and was sorta just flailing around. But the point of the game is for you to stay away from me...and since I touched you, you're It!" 

Chara thought this over, picking at the wet cloth sticking to his torso. Alright. He could be It. But it wouldn't be for long. 

"What do I do, again?" the human asked.

"Oh, it's easy! Since you're It, you need to tag me. But you're not allowed to look, and your only way to figure out where I am is to say 'Marco' and listen to where my 'Polo' comes from." 

"That's not fair. How am I supposed to tag you if you can see, and I can't?" 

Asriel pressed a finger to his chin. He usually didn't have anybody to play this game with except Gerson, and it only took a few rounds for the ancient turtle to become too tired to continue. Said storekeeper was presently sitting on one of the wooden bridges in the woods, attention split between the two boys splashing around in front of him and the opened book on his lap. Feeling the pair of eyes on him, Gerson looked up and gave the Prince a distracted thumbs-up.

"Hey. Azzy. You there?" 

"O-oh yeah. Sorry, Chara. Just checking on Gerson. Um, I think you can just swim? Like, if you hear my voice, you can swim over to where I am and catch me or something." 

Chara looked at the crystalline water in front of him, twirling his fingers over the surface. The glass-like liquid split as he ran a finger through it. Bubbles formed in its' wake. It wouldn't hurt to play this game. Maybe it would get his mind off all the things Gerson had told him. 

They were deep into their second round of Marco Polo (which Chara had found markedly more interesting than he'd first suspected it to be) when a weird hiccuping sound diverted Chara's attention. Eyes still shut, he wandered towards the noise. It sounded like crying. Why would Asriel be crying? This was a bad strategy. 

The sound grew louder. Chara reached his hand out in front of him to tap what he only assumed to be Asriel and declare him 'It,' but his fingers instead found purchase on something slimy and spherical. 

"A-ah! P-please d-don't!" 

This was  _ way  _ too weird for Chara to keep his eyes shut. Opening his eyes slowly, as to not invoke Asriel's rage and buy himself some time, the human found not Asriel, but what looked like a purple, ball-sized floating fish hovering in front of him. 

"Uh," Chara muttered, turning his head behind him to see an equally dumbfounded Asriel padding towards him. "Asriel, what's that?" 

A few more splashes accompanied Asriel as he swam over to where Chara and the floating fish thingy were. Scrutinizing the situation carefully, Asriel's face suddenly lit up in recognition. 

"Hey, you're Shyren's sister, right?" 

Chara was about to shake his head and insist that no, obviously he wasn't, why would Asriel suggest such a thing, when the floating purple fish in front of him nodded. Oh. The question wasn't for him. 

"Y-yes. D-don't touch!" Gills flared, and the fish's overhead lure flickered in what was probably meant to be an intimidating pattern. Asriel took an involuntary step back, insisting that he had no intentions to hurt and was only there to help. Echoing these sentiments, Chara tried to give a comforting smile. He hadn't hit the fish  _ that  _ hard, why was it so afraid of him? 

"Listen, I'm Asriel. Asriel Dreemurr. I'm not going to hurt you. What's going on?" 

The namedrop had precisely the effect Asriel had intended. Shyren's sister's gills nestled back at her side, and she floated cautiously in front of the two. 

"Some monsters. Aaron. Moldybugg. They h-hit." 

Chara's chest swelled, and he took a step forward, hands clenched furiously. A breeze skittered by and pushed the hair out of his eyes. 

"Were they bullying you? Hey, don't look away. Answer. Were they bullying you? Did they hit you?" 

Asriel looked at the human and grinned. He'd never seen this version of Chara before. That red flash of pure determination and heroism -- it was everything he'd always known his best friend to be. 

Shyren's sister stuttered out a smattering of answers that, when stitched together, could be construed into something asserting the affirmative. 

"I'll punch them. Where are they?" 

"C-Chara! Stop that. Violence isn't the answer. That's not going to fix anything! Follow me, you guys." Swimming until the ground rose up to his feet, Asriel waded out of the pool, hurrying for his backpack. He peeled off his soaking t-shirt, wrung it between his hands, and draped it around his neck. Shaking his paws until most of the excess water had dripped off, Asriel dug around in his backpack for a spare piece of paper. 

Gerson watched with a smile as Asriel handed Shyren's sister a slip of paper with his number on it, and Chara asserted that the fish monster call whenever those other monsters decided to give them a hard time. The human confidently added that they were welcome at the castle anytime. 

Those two were really something else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOooooh, finally that chapter is over. Hope you liked it, as well as the appearance of Satanic Bob and Shyren's sister. One of them is going to play a pretty important role in the story, and I'd like to say it's not the one you think.  
> See you guys (hopefully) around Thursday! If there's no update then, just know that the next chapter will be out Friday and I'm probably going through the earlier chapters to check for typos -- which there are a LOT of.  
> Stay safe, everyone!


	8. The Coward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asgore has a little chat with Chara. Nothing he says surprises the human, but he doesn't know that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 was originally MASSIVE (I think it was somewhere around 5,000 words) and I realized that nobody actually wants to read that much at once. I split up the original text into what's now Chapters 8 and 9, hopefully it'll be more digestible that way. Chapter 9 will be out on Sunday, so please let me know then if you think the chapters should be re-combined or if they're better apart.  
> In other news, here is the recommended vibe for this chapter! This is EpicMountainMusic's "What are You" --> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zB_7eUKseo). There isn't an extended version of it, so it'll probably run a little short, but it'll be so good that replaying it will be a pleasure more than pain. ;)  
> Enjoy! Please don't feel shy to leave a comment down below!

Little streams of light filtered through the windows and reflected off the dinner table's glass flower vase. The smell of silk and sweat and burned sugar permeated the quiet little cottage, and a stray tendril of wind whistled through the curtains. 

Asriel and Chara sat on opposite ends of the living room, engrossed in pre-bedtime activities. Crayons and sheets of paper were scattered across the floor in front of the former, where he sat lazily drawing gaudy, waxy shapes. His eyelids fluttered downwards at regular intervals, and a sharp, bitter ache pulsed from the back of his head. He'd been awake for too long and was finally starting to feel it. The human, however, showed no signs of fatigue. White, eczemic fingers curled around highlighters and sticky notes and blue pens that scrawled furiously across white paper. Dark eyes flitted between two books propped up in front of him, one covered in multicolored tabs and notes, the other unmolested save the occasional yellow highlight. 

"Hey, wanna draw?" Asriel mumbled. 

"..." 

"C'mon, please? Put those books down for a bit!" The Prince kicked his legs in the air and turned to look at Chara, who was sitting at the kitchen table with his army of books and notes. "Golly, haven't they at least gotten a _little_ boring yet?" 

"No." Not even looking up, Chara flipped to a new page in his notebook and began copying something down. Asriel groaned and idly twirled a crayon between his fingers. His eyes landed on the untouched slice of butterscotch pie sitting cheerfully to his right, ever-so-slightly melted from the firelight behind it. A lopsided, half-formed idea bumbled into his consciousness. 

"Do you want some of my pie?" 

That caught his attention. Chara looked up from the table, the baseball cap he wore to cover up his embarrassing buzzcut bobbing enthusiastically. 

"I'll give you half my slice. _If_ you put down those dusty ol' books and come draw with me." 

The human considered the proposition for a split second and then shook his head. Asriel redoubled his efforts. 

"Please? Chara, ever since Gerson gave you those books, they've become your entire life! I just want to hang out with you! This whole week we haven't even watched a single episode of FlowerRangers™ together! A-am I boring?" 

"..." 

Asriel groaned loudly and pillowed his head in his arms, grunting as his ribs pressed against the floor. Chara had been ignoring him all day! Sure, the Royal Meeting this morning _could_ be to blame...it wasn't every day that a human child was presented to the whole of the Underground as their new hope and urged to give an impromptu speech. But part of him couldn't bring himself to feel sympathetic for Chara...Asriel felt more and more unwanted with each passing day. It weighed on his stomach like a bad cup of milk. 

With a snort, Asriel stood up and kicked aside a rouge crayon. 

"I'm going to bed," he announced. 

"Okay." 

No, 'I'll be there in a minute?' No, 'Asriel, wait!' No, 'good night?' The Prince's claws dug into his pajama sleeves and picked at the delicate threads. With loud, exaggerated steps, Asriel made his way over to the hallway. 

"I'm walking to our room." 

"Okay." 

"I'm going!" 

"Okay." 

"I'm leaving you all alone! With nobody around! When it's all dark and spooky!" He tried but failed to soften the serrated edge to his voice. "Enjoy!" 

"I will." 

Grumbling under his breath, the Prince gave up and stomped off to his room, the uneven thump of his footsteps fading behind him. A door down the hall slammed shut. Chara refocused his attention on the books in front of him, rereading a particularly dense paragraph in his notes for the fifth time. How could something he wrote suddenly become so unintelligible? He briefly considered going to bed but shook himself awake when he remembered the plan for tonight. 

The creak and groan of the foyer's floorboards preceded Asgore's bumbling entrance into the darkened living room. The giant goat-monster stumbled around for a few seconds, not adjusting to the faint firelight as quickly as he'd hoped, until he flicked on the lightswitch. He pinched the fur of his nose and yawned, letting out a surprised snort when he saw the little human studying at the table. 

"Oh, Chara! You frightened me. I thought you were in bed. Where is your mother?" 

"Sleeping." 

"Already? The meeting today must have really drained her. I'm assuming the same is true for Asriel?" Chara answered in the affirmative. Asgore yawned again and surveyed the colorful mess Asriel had left around the fireplace, shaking his head and mumbling something about boys being boys. Picking up the abandoned plate of pie and carrying it over to the table, Asgore took a seat beside Chara. 

"He's going to be upset when he finds out you ate his pie, Mr. King Dad. He was so quiet during the Royal Meeting today because he was promised dessert for good behavior." Asgore guffawed and winked as he took a bite. His gaze grew thoughtful as he chewed.

"I have to say," the King began, "today's meeting was certainly longer than usual. How was it for you? It must have been very nerve-wracking to have the entire Underground looking at you at the same time." The human shook his head for no reason in particular and plucked at his leggings -- ones better fitted for athletics than studying. 

"It wasn't that bad. I liked your speech. Especially the whole part about me being the 'hope for monsters and humans.' Almost makes up for my haircut." 

The King nearly burst into laughter but clapped a paw over his mouth at the last second. What Chara said wasn't necessarily untrue. Toriel had offered Chara a haircut when she'd noticed the unruly length of Chara's hair and bangs. However, Asgore, insistent that his expertise in Boss-Monster facial hair would translate over to human locks, demanded that this honor be given to him alone. He quickly found out that, one, no, the skills were not transferable and, two, his razor sliced through human hair much faster than it did through his beard. The only hope they had at leaving Chara with something better than an awkward shaven swath across his head was to make everything around it just as short. Now the human was stuck with a humiliating buzzcut.

"I get the feeling you're going to be dangling that one over my head for a long time." Asgore leaned back into his chair and stared at the half-eaten pie in front of him. "I'm really sorry about it all. I had no idea how delicate and fragile human hair was."

Chara pulled his cap off his head to point to the shy, brown stubble underneath, explaining that everything was fine. The hair was already starting to grow back, anyway. Unsatisfied with Asgore's remorseful frown, Chara pushed his chair backward and climbed onto the former's lap. His frighteningly thin frame rested against the King's decidedly larger one, relaxing when two fuzzy arms circled around and pressed him close. The King ran a paw over Chara's now-bald head, laughing when the little human made a face. 

"Well, it's such a relief that it's already growing back. Oh! What's this you're working on?" The King picked up one of the opened books on the counter and folded it over his thumb, squinting at the cover. "'A Comprehensive Guide to the Language of Hands?' Interesting. What's the name of that other one? 'Observations on the Nature of Monster and Human SOULs?' Curious picks for someone your age! Where'd you get these interesting old books from, my child?" 

"Gerson." Chara's eyelids slipped. Staying curled up next to Asgore for too long would send him to sleep if he wasn't careful.

"You've really been marking up these old tomes. What a scholar you are! It's so funny that you're interested in Hands, you know. That's actually Dr. Gaster's native font -- I don't think there is anybody in the Underground who still speaks it aside from him. He even writes all his notes in Hands!" 

Chara pretended to be surprised. 

"Really?" 

"Indeed! I've tried to learn it once or twice, but to no avail. Dr. Gaster was always smarter than me, gosh, he picked up and mastered Common Font only a few weeks after he was hired as Royal Scientist. There wasn't a need for me to keep trying after that." 

This was the perfect moment. Chara hadn't been planning on it cropping up. But if things went right...well, it would make his job a whole lot easier. 

"Hm. Mr. King Dad? 

"Yes?" 

"Next time you go to the CORE, may I come too? I want to show Dr. Gaster my notes and the things that I've learned from these books. Maybe it could help his studies in breaking the barrier."

The muscles underneath Chara tensed. Asgore became fixated on something far away.

"Uh...how tense. Well, Chara, you see….Dr. Gaster....well, I don't really know how to say this." 

"Did I do something wrong?" 

The air in the room was suddenly very warm. Gently, Asgore turned the boy's face towards his, wincing when the human flinched. The King sighed and stared, focused more on the floor under his feet than the child on his lap. 

"I'll just be frank with you, Chara. I don't want you encouraging Dr. Gaster's…" Asgore gesticulated until he settled on the right word, "' _endeavors_ ,' let's say, to break the barrier. I, ah, I don't believe that much good would come out of it if such an end were ever achieved. Do not misunderstand me. I want to think that relations between Humans and Monsters can be eased, especially if you were to be an ambassador of sorts, but history tells me it will not be that easy. However, the barrier is a point of...fixation...for the Doctor. I'm too much of a coward to express my reservations to him." 

The usual softening of features typically followed heartfelt confessions was entirely absent from the human's blank face. Chara waited wordlessly for Asgore to continue. 

"Furthermore," the King continued with an uneasy huff, "Gaster's never been good with children. I imagine he would be even worse with those of the human sort. Chara, please do not take this personally, but I don't know if taking you to see him in the CORE would be a good idea. I don't want him to... _mistreat_ you. N-not physically, of course!" Asgore's eyes shut, and he rubbed the fur on his forehead. "But he's an obsessed man with a sharp tongue, and doesn't take well to those he thinks might be getting in his way. I do love the monster. He's given us so _so_ much and asked for nothing in return. He has a heart of pure gold. But it doesn't always come across that way. So if you would just, please, stay away from him, that would be great. I understand this is disappointing. But this is just not the right time." 

Well, that was pretty much how Chara had expected this conversation to go. He hung his head in an amalgamation of fabricated and sincere sorrow and resisted Asgore's calming pleas for understanding with scripted excellence. After what he'd assumed to be enough head-shaking and whining to get his point across, Chara relented. 

"Okay, Mr. King Dad. I trust you." 

A sigh of relief escaped Asgore, and Chara found himself leaning against the King's ribs. 

"Alright, little one. I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Want me to carry you to your room? I won't even tell Tori that you slept in your clothes." Shaking his head as the King tugged playfully at his tank top collar, Chara took his cue to leave and slid off Asgore's lap. He closed his books and stacked his notes, insisting that Mr. King Dad need not do such a thing. He would head to bed as soon as he cleaned up his mess. 

"Very well, then. Good night, Chara." 

Heavy footsteps receded into the hallway. A light on the opposite end of the house was flicked off as Asgore stumbled into his room. Chara's breathing slowed, and he felt his eyelids slip. No, no! Can't fall asleep now. There were things he needed to do. He forced his eyes open and stared at the doorway, slowly counting to a thousand. 

998 seconds…

999 seconds…

1,000 seconds.

It should be safe to move now. Cold air snuck through the floorboard, and the smell of old parchment grew thick around Chara. With careful, near-imperceptible movements only lit by the dying firelight, Chara slid his notebook, a copy of "Observations on the Nature of Monster and Human SOULs," and spare pen into the cloth tote bag he'd hidden under the table. The fringes of his tank-top were tucked into the band of his leggings, and the baseball cap sitting bereft on the table was fastened snugly over his head. Socked feet slid into a beat-up pair of slightly oversized Russell Moccasin boots; from the instant Chara had found them floating in the dump, he'd known exactly how to put them to use. 

Without a sound, Chara slung the tote over his shoulder and crept out of the house, pressing a finger to front door's ancient hinges to stifle their wails. It was a little frustrating that his conversation with Asgore hadn't gone as he'd hoped, but that was alright. All it meant was that he'd need to be a little more careful tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter'll be a doozy. That's all I'm going to say!  
> Until next time!


	9. The Failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara didn't plan for things to happen the way they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope this fanfic finds you well! Enjoy this chapter and, if you are able, please leave your thoughts below. This is the most description-heavy chapter of any so far, and I don't know if I pulled it off in a believable way. I would love to hear how you guys think it could be made better. 
> 
> Here are the RecommendedVibes for this chapter! There are two this time, the first one is "Egotistic Altruism" by EpicMountainMusic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRHFnl7VLzU&list=RDXX8ir96oP6w&index=30). I suggest you listen to that until Chara gets to the CORE (oopsie spoilers I guess?), then switch the song to the much more sinister "Nuke A City" by the same group (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAX2JIRU-_k&list=RDEMuWA7-fQjws5YJbKgoARHVw&index=3) 
> 
> Enjoy!

Under ordinary circumstances, Chara would have taken the main elevator from the Capital to Hotland. Of course, he couldn't do that now. These were far from ordinary circumstances. Taking a second to tighten his distressed shoelaces, he took stock of his surroundings. 

The Main Bridge. Quiet and gloomy as ever, proudly christened by King Dad himself. Chara looked around. Nobody was here, thankfully. The thrumming of machines and whispers of conversation off in the distance was just enough to remind him a few denizens of the Capital were still awake and working. Probably not enough to throw a wrench into anything he was planning, but he would need to be careful nonetheless. Approaching the edge of the bridge with careful, counted steps, Chara pressed the fat part of his palms to the cool railing. He thoughtfully studied the scene below him.

A lazy, grey river meandered underneath. What had that geography textbook said about how deep it was? Thirty, forty feet? It didn't matter. It was deep enough to be safe. Gentle enough to not sweep him away. His movements slowed as he approached the edge, and he was filled with a paralyzing desire to check his map just _one_ more time. After all, he reasoned with himself, doing this earlier rather than later would prevent him from getting disoriented and wasting time going in the wrong direction. He pulled out a weathered, crumpled sheet of lined paper from his tote and squinted at his handwriting. Ugh, _why_ did he write this in Hands? It was cool, sure, but made it that much more of a hassle to decode. 

Tracing his finger over the fine line of red ink, he repeated the directions to himself again. _West until burger joint. Two rights. One left. Forward until factory. Elevator. West until burger joint. Two rights. One left. Forward until factory. Elevator._ He poured over it again and again until the words dissolved into meaninglessness and he was confident in his ability to remember the pathway. Alright. No time to waste. Best to get this done as quickly as possible. 

Chara tied the fabric handles of the tote together until he was sure nothing would fall out during the drop. Secure. No need to be nervous. Sure, if he messed this up, all his work for the past week would have been for nothing, but he'd practiced the toss far too many times for it to turn up sour. Scrutinizing the small slip of shore by the river, Chara drew in a breath. With a single swing of his arm, the tote fell from his hands, plummeted through the freezing air, and landed squarely on the grey sands of the bank. Not a single scrap of paper had fallen out. 

Perfect. 

Now it was his turn. 

Planting his boots firmly onto the steel railing, Chara pressed his hands behind him. _Pointed toes, pointed fingers. Arch the back. Body will follow where the fingers point._ With a single jump, he fell through the air. 

And landed fingers-first in the water. That dive was almost as perfect as his throw. He kicked the water below him to keep his chin up and grabbed his rouge baseball cap before it could float away. 

Paddling over to the sandy bank, Chara coughed out the water that had forced itself into his lungs. What was that aftertaste? Blood? He clambered onto the shore and checked himself quickly for any cuts or bruises. Nope. Maybe it was just metal in the water. Couldn't put it past a city as industrial as this one -- he was heading towards a factory for angel's sake. After letting the excess water out of his boots and wringing his soaked tank from excess water, he leaned down to pick up his tote. Regardless of how beautiful the execution of his escape was, there was very little time to spare. 

Dark eyes skittered over the monochrome landscape. The shadow of the castle was to his right. That meant that West was straight ahead. His tote beat gently against his ribs as he walked down the sandy bank, which gave way to gravel, which in turn gave way to sidewalk. He walked down through the city with soft steps and a gaze focused on the floor, taking care to draw his cap's bill low on his face. A few monsters meandered through the streets, hidden in the imposing, looming shadows of apartment complexes and corporate offices. It smelled like illicit romance and grease. 

Grease! The burger place must be close. Chara sped past the neon lights and late-night joggers and took a sharp right after passing the awkwardly situated restaurant. Main Street, devoid of its usual hustle and bustle, lay in front of him. Laundry fluttered from lines crisscrossing the air above. Windows glowed pink and purple from children's nightlights, and a handful of monsters stood on their balconies, wistfully observing the city below. Chara paid them no mind. They couldn't see him, or, at least, tell who he was, so he wasn't concerned about them. Another right turn removed him farther from the urban symphony and sites, and a left following three minutes later took him entirely out of the city proper. 

An abandoned factory stood crumbling in a sea of grey grass, the only exciting thing to see in the dead city outskirts. One of the articles he'd been absently reading after the Royal Meeting said it had once been a chocolate production plant, of all things. Humans shared a lot more with monsters than he thought. No. _He_ shared a lot more with monsters than he'd thought. 

The factory was even creepier on the inside. Tendrils of plant life pressed up against the now-sticky flooring; thick rods of steel cradling chunks of plaster stuck out from the sides of the building. A lump of cockroaches dispersed and scuttled up the walls upon Chara's entrance. The only roof above his head was the Underground's ceiling. 

Chara shook his head and forced himself to refocus. He wasn't on a sightseeing tour. Picking up his pace and checking each room in the factory, Chara kept his eyes peeled for the elevator. There was supposed to be one here...one that lead to a metal scrap dump right outside the CORE. Part of him seized up at the possibility that he was in the wrong factory, or that the elevator was broken, or that all of a sudden, Toriel would come shrieking after him and ground him until he was older than Asgore. Only snapping out of his thoughts when his skull connected with something long, metal, and rectangular, Chara looked up and grinned. The elevator! There it was, right in front of him. Just as lonely and forgotten as he hoped it was. 

He pressed the "down" button and bounced on his heels as the elevator whirred. The doors swung open, and Chara stepped inside, pushing the only button on the elevator keypad. And down he went. Another swing and click, and a blast of heat rushed through the elevator's open doors. Pulling his tote bag farther up his shoulder, Chara stepped out into the CORE's backyard. 

The machine had looked massive the first time he'd seen it. But seeing it up close...this...this was something of an almost unholy scale. Blue panels of chrome glittered in the lava light, steel veins popped out the sides, puffs of steam escaped the machine's base at regular intervals. The CORE was as enigmatic and proud as its creator. Chara was hypnotized.

Swallowing a mouthful of hot air, Chara wrung his hands in the wet fabric of his tank and walked cautiously across the dump. He took care to pick a path mostly hidden by large sheets of metal and clumps of steel; sure, the backdoor of the CORE was only a few hundred paces away, but there was no point in getting this far only to be caught at the last second. Sidling up to the steel doors, Chara swiped Asgore's keycard (the poor King didn't even know it was gone) on the electric panel. 

_Swish!_

The doors swept aside. Chara crept inside, wincing as the smell of ammonia blasted up his nostrils, and looked around him. He already knew that he was on the first floor. His destination was on the right-most wing of the third. Now, to take the elevator or the stairs? 

Stairs. Taking an elevator right to the third floor was a surefire way of getting caught; there was nowhere to run if some scientist decided to hitch a ride as well. Thanking his past self for bringing along his nearly-silent Russell Moccasin's, he tiptoed up the linoleum steps. He would just have to be extra careful an--

Someone was coming. More than some _one,_ it sounded like an army. Chara tossed a terrified glance at the flight of steps he'd just cleared; there wasn't enough time for him to run down without making a suspicious amount of noise. What to do? He hadn't planned for this! Ah! A conveniently-shaped lamp sat on the landing just ahead -- he ducked behind it right as a pair of scientists appeared in the corner of his vision. 

"---- needs to take a break at some point. He's going to burn himself out!" The speaker, a slim bunny monster, picked at her lab coat buttons in frustration.

"Eh, I doubt it," the second scientist replied, "his natural habitat is stress. The guy's an extremophile in every sense of the world. Put him in a fancy resort and tell him to relax for 3 minutes... that's when he'll have a mental breakdown." 

The two passed in front of Chara, the second scientist's tail trailing on the tile behind them. He, or, well, what he guessed to be a "he," seemed to be some sort of olive-colored lizard monster. Strange. 

"Hehehe! Perhaps it's just me, but _I_ wouldn't mind a vacation ---" 

Rounding the corner, the two disappeared. The hiss and swish of the backdoor could be heard seconds later, and Chara released a quivering sigh of relief. They were gone. He was safe. Chara slipped out from behind the lamp and sprinted up the staircase, taking care to press himself into any rouge shadows leaking from the wall. There were no more voices in the building, not even footsteps, but it didn't hurt to be a little cautious. 

Stepping off the last flight of stairs, Chara steeled himself. Almost there. Focus. Which way to go? He took a deep breath, lungs filling with a vaguely familiar scent. 

Coffee. 

Ink. 

Paper. 

Chara walked to the right. The smells only grew stronger. 

He was heading in the right direction. 

Still taking the utmost care to be as quiet as possible, Chara crept down a darkened hallway. An illuminated sign flickered to life on his right. He had to shield his eyes from the sudden onslaught of luminescence but felt his face twist into a grin when he finally read the little electric words. _Office of Royal Scientist, Dr. W.D. Gaster._ There it was. There _he_ was. The office's door was ajar, swinging on its hinges, leaving a Chara-sized gap between itself and the wall. 

His body hesitated for a split second, then sprinted towards the doorway. Shoes silent on the tile, he sucked in his stomach and slid between the gap. A generous shadow shielded him from view, and he darted behind a bloated bookcase. Not a single sound had been made. Chara forced his breath down and counted slowly to a thousand. 

998 seconds…

999 seconds…

1,000 seconds... 

Safe. It seemed that the room's only other occupant was oblivious to his presence. 

Chara congratulated himself while scrutinizing the office. It was the epitome of organized chaos, folders, books, and empty pens were scattered across in premeditated disarray. Blueprints covered in white chicken scratch were plastered to the walls. A fine snow of paper covered the floor, each abandoned sheet bloated with diagrams, notes, and various other charts of scientific persuasion. A table, groaning under the weight of the books and abandoned cups of coffee piled on it, cowered in a corner. 

And Dr. W.D. Gaster sat at his desk, wholly engrossed in the blueprint in front of him. 

It smelled like caffeine and unadulterated genius. 

Chara smiled again. Maybe he would just take a second to enjoy his success...it was the sweetest thing he'd tasted in a long time.

"I know you're there." 

**_what_ ** **.**

"Don't waste my time, Chara' _Dreemurr_.'" The air quotes draped around the last word were almost tangible. 

Okay. Well, this wasn't the plan, but there wasn't really a point to staying hidden. That's not why he came here, anyway. Chara stepped out from behind the bookcase and felt strangely violated when the Doctor didn't even turn around. 

"How did you see me?" 

No response. He asked again, and the Doctor grunted in frustration. He pushed his chair to the side and pointed at the massive window in front of his desk. A perfect view of the scrap-metal dump lay behind the glass, replete in all its' forlorn glory. 

**shoot.**

"Your infantile scurrying and sneaking around down distracted me just long enough to be annoying. Make this quick." 

A sparkling, heavy feeling sizzled under Chara's skin. He felt naked. 

"You must think you're pretty important," the human finally retorted.

"I do. And obviously, you do as well, considering the pains you took to come here." 

"Whatever. I have something I want to show you. I've been reading this." Chara pulled out his copy of 'Observations on the Nature of Monster and Human SOULs' and placed it carefully on Gaster's desk. The Doctor's face, half-lit by the weak desk lamp, didn't turn. "I came across some information in it that might help you break the barrier. Here are my notes." A manila folder was gingerly placed on top of the dusty tome. With one hand, Gaster took the envelope and leafed through the impeccably-written notes. If he was surprised that every word was written perfectly in Hands, he didn't show it. 

"Cute." Gaster placed the papers back into the folder and handed them back to a shocked Chara. "Go home." 

What was this? What was _this?_ He'd read and researched, studied and theorized, practiced and proofread every word in those notes. And _this_ was what he got? Chara's hands curled into fists and he tried not to scream. 

"You're not going to say _anything_ about it? Did you even read it?" 

Gaster gave him the same sidelong look one might give a wad of gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe.

"Not the first time I've seen postulations about the possibility of using SOUL power to break the barrier. Good in theory, impossible in execution." 

"There's more to it than that! Give it a good look! What is wrong with you, Gaster? _I'm just trying to help you! I'm just trying to help all of you!_ " 

"..." 

It took Chara exactly three seconds to realize that was not the right thing to say. 

Plastic wheels squealed on linoleum tile. Gaster's swivel chair spun to the side, and the Doctor rose to his full height. The inky cloth of his signature black lab coat unfurled and pooled onto the ground, leaking into the shadows splattered across the room. Lamp-light flashed off his white, flat face. 

Chara scurried backward and slipped on a stray piece of paper, landing on his back with a painful thud. The shadows around him raged and crashed and spilled against his sides. The only thing above him was The Doctor's silhouette. 

"You're not trying to help me or anyone else **,"** Gaster began, "you're trying to help yourself. Emphasis on _trying._ Trying to prove your manhood by sneaking out when the King and Queen think you're at home. Trying to assert your dominance by manipulating the Prince so much and so often he can't tell his hand from his foot. Trying to earn my respect through a shoddy thesis written in an obscure language nobody understands but myself, even though Common Font is not only the superior alternative but the scientific standard." The Doctor stopped and studied the water running from Chara's eyes. How curious. A shuddery wail on the human's part was the only encouragement he needed to continue. "You pretend to be ashamed of your humanity. You endeavor to "redeem" yourself through one tremendous act of self-sacrifice instead of treating Prince Asriel, the King, the Queen, or even ordinary citizens of the Underground with even the slightest iota of respect. I know what you are."

Chara pushed himself off his elbows and started up at Gaster. His knuckles burnt from being crunched into fists for so long. The water streaming from his eyes and weird noises coming out of his throat had already died. 

"What do you think I am, Gaster?"

"Oh, no. Not what I _think_ you are. What I _know_ you are. You're not hateful. You're not a murderous, merciless maniac. You're something far worse. Apathetic **.** Self-obsessed. A living being with a SOUL but without a soul." 

By no initiative of his own, Chara found himself on his feet. 

" **Get out, human. Never come back**." 

Chara grabbed his bag and sprinted out of the CORE, not caring how loud his Russell Moccasins hit the tile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to be continued... 
> 
> Just an update on my uploading schedule for the next two weeks. I need to study for my tests, but I don't want to slack off on writing. So here is what I'm thinking. 
> 
> TUESDAY MORNINGS (PST) --> Upload a chapter of "Mephibosheth" 
> 
> SATURDAY MORNINGS (PST) --> Some fluffy Undertale one-shot (I'm thinking some sort of slice-of-life fic, I don't see enough of those!), goal is 3,000-5,000 words each but might be more. 
> 
> This would only apply for the next two weeks. If you have thoughts or suggestions let me know.


	10. The Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions come to light in the worst way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains homicidal and suicidal undertones along with blood and violence. Reader discretion is advised, and the story rating has changed to reflect this.
> 
> RecommendedVibe #1 (for those who would find scary music a way to make this chapter more interesting): "Light and Darkness The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess Music Extended" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnr13DbkCwQ)
> 
> RecommendedVibe #2 (for those who would rather have something a little more light-hearted to counteract the feeling of this chapter without taking away the tension): "Jean-Michel Blais & CFCF | Berlin by Overnight (CFCF Remix) IL | First Play Live" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dt4u9n-cSU)

The shower water darkened with ribbons of blood. Chara rested his head against the tile, grimacing as sharp pinpricks of water bounced off his back. Sweat and dirt slid off his skin. Long sheets of hair, heavy with soap and water, flopped over his eyes. It had grown back very quickly, fanning out from a whorl at the back of his head and tickling the top of his ears. He couldn't wait until it was as long as it had been before. 

A muscle in his arm spasmed as he combed a wad of conditioner through his hair. Training today had been tough: the fact that he was already sore testified to that. Granted, it was partially his fault. While Asgore had been the one to suggest the knife-fighting lessons (Chara's initial request to learn magic was shot down immediately), the human had pushed for them to be a daily occurrence. And if his newfound build and agility indicated anything, the lessons were paying off. But at a cost, of course. He went to bed sore every night. He was always hungry. He always tired and always irritable. Occasionally, when he sat alone in Asgore's garden and watched the forget-me-nots flutter in the breeze, dark thoughts slipped into his mind. Whispers of things he could do with his new abilities. Suggestions of revenge. Flashes of glory and promises of power. 

Lately, they'd been harder to resist. 

Chara shut off the faucet and stepped out of the shower, drying his hair and body with a fluffy towel. With some difficulty, he pulled on his underclothes and fleece pajamas. The cloth stuck to his legs. Ugh. Out of all the PJs he had, he just had to choose the clingiest ones. Chara rolled his eyes at himself and stepped onto the sink stool, grabbing the small, yellow brush sitting on the counter. He ran it through his hair, wincing as the plastic prongs pulled at knots, and stared at the mirror with fascination. His reflection. It was...different. Apparently, training had even changed his face. A healthy flush dusted his cheeks, and a dark sprightliness glittered in his eyes; the only remnants of his eczema were the rosy patches on his cheeks. Amazing. He looked...alive. Pressing his hands to his face, Chara leaned in further. 

**I know what you are.**

The mirror flickered. His reflection melted in front of him, skin sloughing off to reveal a horrible, shining skull underneath. 

A crack ran through one of its sockets. 

It stared at him curiously, entranced by the look on Chara's face.

**You're something far worse** .

The skull grinned. 

"CHARA! Chara, are you okay? I heard you scream!" 

**A living being with a soul but without a SOUL.**

With a gasp, Chara sat up. He'd fallen backward onto the floor. Just like when-- 

No. 

Nope. 

Wasn't going to think about that now. 

"Chara, please answer me!" Asriel's voice hovered by the door. 

"Hey, Azzy. I'm fine. Just thought I saw a spider." 

Asriel's audible sigh of relief was quickly accompanied by a confused giggle. "Just a spider? There's no need to be scared of those. The worst thing they'll do to you try and sell you something you don't need." 

Chara smiled as he got to his feet. That was true. The arachnids down here were much more business-oriented than their surface counterparts. Anyway, might as well finish up in here. He wrapped up his dirty garments in his towel and lumped them under his arm, groaning to himself when he saw the glint of his training knife under the sink. He grunted and slid it into his pocket, making a mental note to hand it to Asgore when he came home.

"Do you still wanna play Lepins with me? I-it's okay if you don't want to!" 

"No, wait, yeah. Yeah, I'll play. Just give me a second." 

Chara gathered his things and opened the bathroom door, immediately walking straight into Asriel. 

"Hmmghthf!"

"Oh, sorry!" 

The Prince beamed shook his head, insisting it was all fine. He slipped his paw into Chara's hand, and the two walked to their bedroom.

"Golly, I'm really happy you wanna play. Do you know that Gerson found the whole Lepin set in the dump? He said it didn't look like it was ever opened, as if the people on the surface threw it away as soon as it was made or something. Boy, could you imagine? And it's in perfectly good condition, too! Or, it must have been, because Gerson sold it to Dad at full price. Anyway, I think it's supposed to be a plane set or something." 

"How do you know what planes are?" 

"They were in that special space episode of FlowerRangers™, remember?" 

Chara nodded slowly. Yeah, it seemed like the creators of that horrid TV show were so pressed for ideas that they just flung the cast into space and hoped something entertaining would come out of it. It was Azzy's favorite episode, so Chara had forced himself to look enthusiastic about it. After all, he wasn't as emotionless and  **apathetic** as some monsters took him to be. 

The two took a seat on the bedroom carpet, and Chara idly began to organize the plastic bricks sprinkled about by color and size. In all honesty, he didn't care for Lepins as much as Asriel did. Or maybe he was saying that just because he was sore and tired and the only thing he did care for at the moment was a snack and a nap. No, no. Don't prioritize yourself. Don't be self-obsessed, because that's not who you are. Chara's brow furrowed in concentration, and he forced himself to focus on the scene in front of him. Asriel was already back to work, snapping the blocks onto each other with painstaking precision. A glossy instruction manual sat unopened and abandoned to his side, but the toy plane's blocky framework had already started to take shape. 

"Azzy, why aren't you using the manual? Everything is looking really good, but wouldn't the instructions be more useful than the cover?" 

Asriel jolted in surprise. 

"Oh, uh, yeah. I was just using the cover as, you know, sort of a guide. Maybe I'm stupid, but I can't read a thing in the instruction book. I don't, uh, maybe it's the light?" Asriel scratched his cheek and passed the manual to Chara. "Can you read it?" 

The human scrutinized the paper. Asriel fidgeted with the plastic bricks in his hands and accidentally got two flat ones stuck against each other. 

"Well, it makes sense why you can't read it. It's in a different language. Sorry, Azzy." 

"Shucks. It's okay, we don't need that silly old thing anyway!" 

"Yup!" Chara replied. 

The forced enthusiasm was tangible. Avoiding Asriel's confused expression and pointed stare, Chara busied himself with the Lepins. Not like there was anything else to do, anyway. Slowly, the shape of a plane wing came together under Chara's fingers. A clock ticked genially in the hallway, and the soft smell of roses floated through a window, hallmarks of the afternoon. The clicking of claws on plastic accompanied Asriel's attempts to pry the two stubborn bricks apart. 

"Hey, Chara." 

"What's up, Azzy?" 

Again, the fur above Asriel's eyes pressed together in confusion. What was going on with these sudden, friendly responses? Had he done something wrong? 

"Um, do you think Mom will be home soon?" 

Chara stifled a yawn and nodded slowly. "Probably. The snail farm isn't that far away anyway. If she takes the Riverkid's boat, she should be back in a few minutes." 

So many words to answer such a short question. Usually, Chara was more economical and, well, deadpan in his replies. The suspicion that something was terribly off began to grow in the back of Asriel's mind. 

"Aww, that's too bad," the Prince murmured, "there goes our fun." 

"Sorry, dude. Hey, your part of the plane is looking really good!" 

A compliment? For him? Asriel grinned and looked at Chara with bashful eyes. 

Wait. 

A compliment? 

Yeah, something was definitely off. 

"Thanks, Chara! That's really nice of you." Asriel's half-lidded eyes studied his companion like one might watch an experiment. "Hey, wanna watch the FlowerRangers™ season finale again after this?" 

UGH. That was the last thing Chara wanted to do at the moment. A whole hour of shoddy dialogue and soundtracks on par with elevator music? He'd rather die in a - wait. No. No, no. Don't be self-obsessed. Chara inhaled deeply and met Asriel's eyes with an expertly crafted smile on his face, even completing the earnest, eager look by tilting his head slightly to the side. Fake it until you make it, you know. 

"I'd love to!" 

Asriel put his Lepins down and crossed his arms. His eyes were wide open now. 

"Okay. That's enough. What's wrong?" 

Chara's eyebrows flew into his hairline. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong, Asriel." 

"Something is wrong. Why are you pretending to be so energetic and interested in everything I do all of a sudden?" 

"What, I'm not allowed to care about my best friend's interests? I don't see how that's wrong. And this isn't all of a sudden! What are you talking about? 

Asriel snorted and gave Chara the same glare Toriel did when she knew someone was lying. "Yeah, you're right. This isn't all of a sudden, you've been doing this for weeks! And, golly, it's so weird!" The Prince groaned and pressed his fingers to his forehead. "It's not that I don't like you being happy and interested in stuff I like, it's that I, you know, I just feel like you're faking it. If you're bored, we can do something else. A-are you bored with these Lepins? Again, we can do something else." 

"I'm not bored. I'm not faking." 

There was a steel edge to Chara's syllables. Asriel ignored them.

"Chara, please. Just tell me what's wrong. I just want to help you!" 

"Nothing's wrong." The human tried to pull his bangs over his face and flinched when he realized they were still too short. Opting instead to draw his knees to his chin, Chara hid his face in the cloth of his pajama pants. 

"Don't lie to me! Please. Please, I just want to help. Listen to me, look, Chara, look at me. Look, look at me! Hey! Listen!" Asriel's fingers brushed Chara's face and withdrew immediately when the human scuttled backward. 

"Don't touch me." 

"Oh, oh, gosh. I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I won't do that again. I promise." Asriel's voice quivered, but his titanium resolve to get an answer only grew stronger. "But listen, Chara, you gotta tell me what's wrong! Why are you acting this way?" 

"I'm not acting!" Chara screamed, "why is that so hard for you to understand?" 

"You don't need to be angry! Listen, I'm trying to understand! I'm trying my best, but, but you're not telling me anything! Listen to me. I like the real Chara. I want you to be happy. Sometimes I feel like that too, like I have to pretend to make someone else comfortable or happy. But you don't have to do that! I like you for who you are. You don't need to hide from me, I'm your brother." 

In one fluid movement, Chara got to his feet and smashed the Lepin plane under his foot. 

**"You're not my brother!"**

A horrid, suffocating silence filled the room. Asriel's vision began to blur. He already felt the tears dripping down his face. 

"Y-yes, I am!" 

"Oh, shut up. Shut up! You're not my brother -- you're not anybody! You're just a lame crybaby who follows me all the time because you don't have anything better to do! You're an idiot! You're not a good friend or playmate or anything! You're not even good at being quiet!" 

"Take that back!" Loud, disgusting hiccups burst from Asriel's throat. He crawled backward when Chara took a step closer. 

"I won't! I mean it! I don't even know why I'm friends with you! Ever since I met you in the Ruins, I knew you were an idiot. And I was right! The only person who would try and be my friend and earn my respect would have to be an idiot. You're a monster. You're the Prince of monsters. You should know how dangerous humans are. But you're still idiotic enough to make friends with one?" 

Asriel's face flushed crimson. The Prince pulled himself to his feet, a foreign, hot feeling burning through his veins.

"You-you're not dangerous! And, and I'm not an idiot!" 

"Yes, I am! Yes, you are! Idiot idiot idiot. That's you! You're the idiot! Look at your snotty little idiot face over there in your little idiot mirror! You're gross and annoying and I hate y---" 

A fist swung at Chara's face and smashed into his nose. 

Something wet trickled from the human's nostrils and slipped down his philtrum. Chara's fingers brushed his face, eyes growing impossibly wide when he saw the red liquid staining his fingertips. Asriel stared back in shock, pressing his paws to his chest and muttering a host of simpering, half-swallowed apologies. 

So this was how it was. 

Chara's fist reared back and flew towards Asriel's face. Bone crunched. Before the Prince could put up his hands or offer a counterattack, Chara slammed his knuckles into Asriel's stomach. 

"S-stop!" 

The blood rushing in Chara's ears was deafening. A sloppy uppercut connected with Asriel's chin, sending the Prince staggering backward onto his bed. Soft tufts of hair were pulled this way and that. Fine sprays of dust accompanied each punch and kick. The air grew thick with the smell of powder and metal. 

"Sto--"

Chara grabbed Asriel's collar and lifted it close to his face, dragging the whimpering Prince through the air. He slapped aside the two arms Asriel tried to shield himself with.

The training knife in his back pocket was suddenly very warm.

"P-please! Stop! Stop!" 

A ray of light glinted off their closet mirror.

**A living being with a soul but without a SOUL.**

Chara lost control of the muscles in his fingers. Asriel, the hold on his collar suddenly released, fell back onto his bed. Chest heaving rapidly as he pushed himself into a corner of his room, his arms went shielded his face in expectation of another assault. Everything hurt. Everything burned. Everything was too bright. The floorboards creaked as the human shifted his weight from one leg to another, staring at his dusty hands with an unreadable expression. 

"H-hey. I," Asriel began.

"That's the 'real Chara.' T-t-that's the 'real Chara,' Asriel. Like me now?"

A single tear trickled down Chara's face and fell onto the carpet underneath. Asriel's SOUL seized up within him, the throbbing, powdery pain in his face and chest already forgotten. Chara. Chara was hurting, he needed to do something. 

His paw reached out at empty air. 

The door of their bedroom swung open, the sound of muffled crying and hurried footsteps echoing down the halls. Asriel forced himself onto his feet and pushed his reluctant body after Chara. His friend was sick, he had to help, he had to--

Eyes rolling to the back of his head, Asriel kneeled over and passed out in the hallway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys found this chapter interesting. It was difficult for me to write from a technical and emotional standpoint, and so I hope everything was done tactfully. If you are able to leave a comment down below, it would mean the world to me. I want to learn how to get better, so massive thanks to JoSeBach and Sara K M on FFN who have left constructive criticism for me to work with, as well as MyWritingisMeh on AO3 for their continued support. 
> 
> God bless, stay safe, and I'll hopefully see you guys on Saturday with a random Undertale one-shot (Chapter 11 of Mephibosheth will probably come out at this time next week).


	11. The Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara has more questions than answers about himself. He meets someone with a strange way of answering said questions. 
> 
> (Please read author's notes!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm sorry about this late update. I started playing Ocarina of Time again and totally forgot about all my responsibilities (that game is so good I love it so much), and I had to study for a massive exam I have later today. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Just some headcanons I wanted to share with you guys before you jump in. First of all, I've toyed with the idea that monster dust is sorta like blood. If a monster is injured enough, they’ll start giving off dust because their HP and MP is too low/unstable to hold their form together (monsters don’t seem to be organic, so maybe a magic forcefield is the thing that regulates and maintains their bodies). So when Chara's talking about "Asriel's dust" here, it's not like he killed poor goat bro or anything. It could be thought about in the same way as blood. I hope that makes some semblance of sense! Also, the RecommendedVibe is something I know you will like, considering that you're reading this fic! It's the extended version of "It's Raining Somewhere Else" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1LIsrFdEuU) The whole chapter was written with the song in mind, so I hope you like it.

The thrumming of a distant waterfall only grew louder as Chara bolted towards the dump. He sprinted into the freezing, chest-high water, not paying any mind to how his fleece pajamas billowed and slicked around his chest. All he could think about was running, running, running away, far away, so far away that the horrible, horrible things he did would drown behind the Underground's horizon and be gone forever. The muscles in his legs and chest burned with acid; his windpipe sloshed with mucus. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. Too tired. Too thirsty. His movements slowed, body crumpling in defeat against a mountain of trash. Chara felt his body slide into the water, barely aware of the spit dribbling through his teeth and stagnant liquid climbing up his wheezing form. The water splashed against his chin and threatened to swallow him whole, burbling hushed threats against his legs and arms as it pressed his clothes against him. He tried not to care. Ribbons of dust, iridescent and soft, floated from underneath his fingernails into the dump water. Asriel's dust. Dust from his best friend's arms and legs and chin and brow bone, beaten and scraped away from his tiny form by raging, rabid hands. The Prince had not bled, just let pieces of himself dissolve into the wind. 

Why hadn't that stupid goat fought back? Why hadn't he stood up for himself? 

"Idiot, idiot, idiot…" Chara mumbled. 

"C'mon, no need to be so harsh on yourself." 

Chara startled, sending uneven ripples around him and accidentally slipping further into the water, the heels of his palms and feet finding purchase on the dump floor at the last second. His head whipped around, searching earnestly for the speaker. Who was talking to him? Somebody else was here, and he was vulnerable and unarmed. Wait, no. No, that wasn't right. Vulnerable, yes. Unarmed, no. He still had the training knife. Sliding the rubber blade out of his pocket and fastening his grip around it, Chara pulled himself to his feet. 

He had no intention to die in a literal trash dump. 

"You shy?" The stranger queried. 

The tiny muscles around Chara's ears tensed. He glared into the darkness. "Who are you?" 

"Oh, you know, just another dumpster-dweller trying to get away from the physical and emotional obligations of daily life. How about you?" The only response was silence. Something that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a laugh echoed in the hallway. "You're quite the conversationalist, aren't you?" 

"..." 

"It's okay, we all have our quirks." There was the sound of shuffling cloth, then silence. The stranger spoke up again. "What's brought you here, anyway?" 

"..." 

"I promise I won't tell." A childish lilt clung to the second word, almost as if it were some sort of taunt. Chara cringed; it reminded him of Asgore and Toriel and their incessant teasing.

"I'm not going to have a heart-to-heart with a total stranger." The human said bluntly. 

"Total stranger? Aw, come on, give me some credit! I was kind enough to introduce myself and keep things all friendly and light-hearted even though you're swinging that sharp lil' doodad around. I'd recommend that you put that thing away, but, you know, it's just a suggestion." 

Chara's heart froze in his chest. He knew that the stranger could hear him, but that they could  _ see  _ him was definitely news. The fact that the latter was not true on his end only served to make this an even less welcome surprise. Pores on his arm burned, partly from whatever might have been floating in the rank water he was dripping in and partly from the sudden flush of adrenaline. 

The training knife fell back into his pocket, and Chara settled back down in the water. If his brave mask was seen through so quickly, there wasn't a point to keeping it on. A stray piece of plastic from the trash pile behind him prodded his shoulder as if to congratulate his decision. 

"Good call. What brings you here?" 

"None of your business." Chara spat. 

"Fair, fair." 

A waterfall thundered off in the distance. Shreds of black rubber and wet paper floated by, and something slimy grazed the underside of Chara's foot. He ran his fingers through his hair, slicking the fine promise of bangs backward and working through a stubborn knot behind his ears with his fingers. The silence grew increasingly uncomfortable, and Chara did his best to ignore it. He didn't come here to talk with some mysterious voice. He came here to, uh… 

Well. 

Hm.

Whatever. Might as well amuse himself while he was in this nasty place. 

"What do you want from me?" Chara questioned. 

"Nothing, really. Just looked like you needed to get something off your chest." 

The stranger talked like they were some sort of saint. That was the last kind of person Chara felt like being around at the moment. "Who  _ are  _ you?" 

"Nobody important. Who are  _ you _ ?" The voice teased. The last word was soft and gentle and high-pitched, dripping with brazen, youthful confidence. Chara relaxed a little. If it was a random monster kid who wanted to chat, his preoccupation with safety wasn't necessary. 

"Answer my question, will you?" the human mumbled absent-mindedly, a little too long after the stranger's earlier quip.

"I would, but, you know, I don't want to."

"Ugh. You're annoying." 

"Thanks, I get that a lot. Hey, wanna play a game?" 

A game? 

"Whatever." 

Chara quickly realized his indifference was mistaken for eager compliance. 

"Nice! I call it the Question Game." 

"..."

"Geez, you're not really good at the whole social cues thing, huh? This is the part where you're supposed to ask me to elaborate." 

"...fine. Elaborate, then." 

"Cool-io. Okay, so here's how it works. I ask a question, and you can either answer or deflect with another question. Great way to have a meaningful conversation without the conversation part. Sound good?" 

This could be promising. This  _ would _ be promising. Chara pushed himself up against the trash pile, languidly watching a paper poster melt into wet, colorful snow in the water. Conversation without commitment, honesty without repercussions, camaraderie without emotions. Chara didn't realize how much this proposition fascinated him until his eagerness bubbled out of his mouth. 

"Sounds great." 

The stranger's contented hum bounced off the indigo stone of the corridor. "Alright, homeslice. Shoot." 

"Am I supposed to go first?" 

"Well, yeah, that's what I meant by 'shoot.'" 

"Oh, okay. Let me think first, though." 

His face contorted in thought, eyebrows folding and crushing the dry skin of his forehead together. A familiar tingle pricked his cheeks, a cry for ointment and attention, as the human sifted carefully through the ideas in his mind. No possible questions stuck out to him, all were too grey and trivial to be utilized in such a situation like this. What to say? He would probably never be able to have this kind of conversation again, and that very thought allowed the burning, blistering question on his lips to come tumbling out. 

"What makes somebody bad?" 

The stranger made a snorting noise. "No preamble, huh? I like that. Well, then, what makes somebody good?" 

It was Chara's turn to snort. He shrugged his shoulders and stared up at the ceiling, wincing at the memories of hymns and childhood prayers that tickled his brain's recesses. "Maybe nothing," he replied, "who decides?" 

"Is it subjective?" 

The skin on his neck chilled. Water gurgled around him as if to offer its own answer to the question and angrily grumbled when it was ignored. Chara shivered.

"I hope not." 

"C'mon, it's called the  _ Question  _ Game, not the Existential-Crisis-Inducing-Statement Game. You lose." 

The stranger tittered. Chara squeaked indignantly in a way that reminded him strongly of someone he did not want to think about right now. "Hey! I was just talking to myself, just like you did at the start!" 

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" The stranger insisted. "Okay, no, I'm not, you did lose, but I'll let you off the hook. Only because it's the first time you've played, though."

"You'd better." 

"Aww, lighten up, will you?" 

"Don't tell me what to do." 

The stranger groaned loudly, and Chara cringed at the noise. "You're ruining the game. Just pretend that you're having fun, and you'll find it to be true. C'mon. If you're nice, I'll even tell you my name." 

Oh! That would be utterly useless information, but fascinating nonetheless.

"Really?" 

"Yeah, I'm serious." 

"Fine. I'm supposed to ask another question, right?" 

"Uh, that's kind of the point." 

Chara barely had to think before the next question popped off his lips. "Can somebody be born evil?" 

There was a low whistle followed by whispers about him taking the game too seriously. Still, the stranger eventually "answered" in their offbeat, sarcastic way Chara was quickly growing fond of. "If they can change, does it matter?" 

Teeth gnawing at his fingernails, Chara mulled over the question. Did it matter? Hm. He didn't know. Scratching his cheek and wincing as the jagged, keratin razor of his pointer finger scraped his skin, he thought. 

"Do you think even the worst person can change?" He finally asked. 

There was the sound of fabric on plastic and the clatter of metal. A silence that rivaled its predecessor in intensity and duration settled over the dump until the stranger finally whispered a hushed "yes." 

Yes. Yes. 

One person thought there was still a chance for him. Yes, there was still hope, yes, there was still room to change, yes, yes, yes! A dumb little smile crept onto his face and branded the tiny creases around his mouth, slipping off when a sudden, greater realization hit him at full force. 

"You lose!" Chara cried. Haha! The stranger in all their smugness had finally fallen. He waited for a response and twisted anxiously in the stagnant water when he received none. "Hello? Stranger? You lost." 

"Oh yeah," they remarked half-heartedly, "that's true." 

"You're ruining the game." 

If the stranger recognized his own words being flung right back at them, they didn't respond in the slightest. Chara grew frustrated. His earlier excitement and catharsis were forgotten. This, this wasn't fun anymore. The small pleasure of triumphing over a smart-aleck with expertise in avoidance and sarcasm that rivaled his own grew bitter. 

"Hey," the stranger finally murmured, "are you alright?" 

A flood of witticisms rushed through Chara's mind, but he pushed them away. He had a sneaking feeling that the stranger wasn't trying to continue their game, and that trying to do so would only make the atmosphere more constrictive. Whatever. Might as well be honest to this stranger he would never see again. Couldn't hurt. 

"No, of course I'm not alright. Duh. People don't usually come and hang out in trash dumps when they're having a good day." 

The stranger giggled. "That was a pretty dumb question, now that I think about it." 

Rain of unknown origin began to fall from the ceiling. It slid down Chara's hair and into his eyes, pattering on the water's trembling surface. He watched as the water droplets bumped into the sea below and dissipated in infinite sad ripples with resigned, half-aware fascination. His hands stretched upwards to the rain, letting it wash off the gritty skin of his palm. Eyebrows twitched when a speck of iridescent dust sparkled and perished in the water below. 

"I beat up my best friend today." 

Three heartbeats passed. 

"Why's that?" The stranger's voice still held its casual, nonchalant swagger. Chara felt his walls crumbling. Was there any need to build a fortress to keep someone you would never see again out? The dust still shimmered. The human flinched as the rain trickled down his face. 

"He thought I was faking it. Faking being good and nice and gentle and kind. He thinks that I'm a fraud, that I'm bad and just can't help it, that I can't change. I told him he was wrong, and then I did something that proved he's right." 

The rain was falling harder than before. A little bit slipped into his mouth, and Chara coughed when he realized it was salty. It started dripping faster; the dust flashed wickedly and angrily under the water's surface, a hot feeling burning his chest. For some reason, it felt like it was raining on the inside, too. 

"Do you think you can change?" The stranger finally asked. 

"I thought I could. I really thought I could, I really tried. I don't know about now. It doesn't matter, anyway, I guess. Nothing I do really does." 

"Hey, could you listen to me for a moment? You can forget anything you want about this conversation, but I just need you to remember the next few words I say." 

"..." 

"You can change. The bad things you feel you've done don't define you. Whatever past you feel like you can't escape...you can. Aargh." There was an uncomfortable screeching sound that could only be compared to utensils scraping on plastic, and a piece of trash from a pile to his far-right shuddered. A tin can rolled off its side and floated upside down in the water, swerving away from Chara when he made a movement to flick it with his thumb and forefinger. His eyes trailed back up to the trash pile, widening when he saw a shadow that looked roughly the size of a child. For some reason he couldn't explain, he felt a tremendous weight lift itself from his shoulders. Chara wiped his wet face with an equally wet hand and winced when the stranger's voice pierced the silence. "Geez, I dunno. I'm not a psychologist or anything, I'll tell you that much. But hey, you can rise above the circumstances. You're better than you think you are. Got that?" 

"...yeah." 

The rain came down harder. Rivulets of salt and water gushed down Chara's face, the Underground's tears melting into his own. He couldn't tell if the stranger's words were born of sincerity or flattery or misguided concern. He was doubtful of all three. A sudden, uncouth farting noise echoed throughout the cavern, and Chara's tears halted in confusion. 

"Ah, geez, sorry. That's just my ringtone -- I gotta get back. See you 'round, yeah?"

"Whate-- wait. You didn't tell me your name. You promised you would tell me your name." 

The stranger's shadow jerked to the right, as if they were debating between turning around or staying still. Their figure clenched and froze; obviously, they chose the latter.

"You forgot already?" They drawled playfully. 

"What?" 

"I told you, I'm serious!" 

Chara snorted and glared at the figure, wondering if they could see the obvious displeasure written on his face. He blinked away the stinging saltiness building in his eyes. As his eyelids drew back, they barely registered a half-flash of cyan and the stranger's sudden disappearance. 

Water fell from the cavern ceiling in buckets, drenching Chara's hair as much as the trash river had soaked him from shoulder-down. 

He wished it were raining somewhere else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. Comments and kudos mean the world to me, so if you have something to say please write below! I'll always respond, and I appreciate all of you who have supported this fic so far. It means so much to me. 
> 
> Regarding this fic's update schedule, I know that it's been crazy wonky lately. The next Mephibosheth update will be next Monday, but there will be an Undertale oneshot coming out on Saturday (just like last week). I haven't started on it yet -- shame on me, yes I know! -- but I'm pretty sure it'll be a sort of Grillby and Baby Fuku thing. I do have the outline, and I have to say that I'm pumped for it. Since testing week is starting to wind down, the update schedule will probably be returning to normal. I'll have something official posted next Monday. :)


	12. The Tadpole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara meets someone just like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! So sorry to have kept you waiting for this chapter even though I promised it would come out on Monday. "The Reason" (a Grillby oneshot I posted up on Sunday, I think) drained me of a lot of my creative juices, and this chapter did not want to be written. I've also started working on two other fics (both for the Legend of Zelda), so my time and energy has been divided, but this fic isn't going to be abandoned or put on hiatus anytime soon. Don't worry!   
> The RecommendedVibe for this chapter is definitely "Do You Feel It" by Chaos Chaos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTA0DSfrGZ0). It'll probably finish up before you get to the end of this (short) chapter, but it's such a good song I bet most of you will click replay regardless :D   
> Enjoy! Please don't feel afraid to leave comments and constructive criticism below.

Chara's mind was quiet. No thoughts, no plans, no whispers of resentment, or mumbles of discontent. 

Just silence. 

He slid further into the stagnant water, grimacing as it licked his skin and wrinkling his nose as a sizable piece of trash floated by. Disgusting. Where did this stuff come from? Did the humans above even know where their trash was going? Probably not. Another classic act of negligence. His first instinct was to stifle his groan, but, remembering that he was alone, he let it all out. 

It felt good. 

The silence was a little more comfortable now that Chara remembered he could control. There was something delicious about having power over something, no matter how insignificant, and he cherished the cool, collected aura this knowledge imbued him with. The silence was his to manipulate and command. 

Until someone else trampled all over his territory. 

"Gah! This little tadpole doesn't know what's good for her!" 

The first thing Chara felt was seething resentment. He'd fled all the way to the dump for some peace and quiet to find no peace and quiet at all. First, he was disturbed by the weird stranger with the cyan glow about them, and now this? He mourned the silence's corpse with the stiff lip of a superior deferred. The voice mumbled something again in the distance, and this time Chara's ears perked up. He knew that voice. Getting quietly to his feet, Chara wrung the excess water out of his shirt and slicked back his bangs. He peeked curiously around the mountain of trash he'd been leaning against for the past half hour to see a particularly homely turtle splashing about in the dump waters. 

Gerson. But what exactly was he doing? Chara crept a little closer, taking particular care to keep himself out of Gerson's eyesight. The ancient turtle had something in his hands -- a bottle or jar of sorts -- and was swiping it at regular intervals through the water. It looked almost as if he was trying to catch something. Chara crouched into the water in an attempt to see whatever Gerson was chasing. Nothing. Had the old monster finally gone senile? It certainly seemed like it. Wait, no. No, no, no. He hadn't. There was definitely something in the water. Chara crept closer, the water shyly kissing his chin as he let himself lower and lower into its embrace. He scrutinized the scene in front of him. There was a blur of movement around Gerson's feet, a clean slice through the water as something, some _ one _ , perhaps, flitted around desperately. Based on the darkened shadow it left behind itself as it swam this way and that, it certainly did appear to be a tadpole. And a curiously tiny one at that. 

The only thing Chara knew for sure was that this little tadpole, or whatever it was, wanted to be anywhere but the bottle Gerson was trying to put it in. The human watched for a few more seconds as the ancient turtle splashed about in the water. Irritation built at the back of his throat, familiar and warm, and Chara couldn't help but blurt out his next words. 

"Gerson, do you need help?" he suddenly questioned, not without a hint of derision undergirding his words. 

Gerson turned around with a start, the bottle nearly slipping from his hands when he did. The shop keeper smiled when his cloudy gaze registered the disheveled human. 

"Oh, Chara! How are you doing?" 

"Fine," he began, debating whether to reiterate his question but quickly deciding against it, "what are you doing?" Maybe getting a little more context on the situation would be helpful. 

"Frankly, I was wondering that myself. Y' see this lil' lassie?" Gerson pointed to the tadpole darting back and forth across the water. It was a she; Chara filed the information at the back of his head as he nodded for the turtle monster to continue. "Don't know how she got here or where she came from, but it isn't safe for her to be swimming around in this nasty water. She doesn't want to go in the bottle I have here," he explained, tapping a crusty claw on the jar he held, "and I don't have any other way to relocate her. Stubborn little creature. From how smart and fast she is, I'm guessing that she's two, maybe three years old. She's much smaller than she should be." 

Even though Chara knew next to nothing about monsters, even less about the fish variety, he could help but agree with the last statement. The tadpole couldn't have been any bigger than his thumb. Nothing that was any more than a few months old should be this small. 

"She's tiny." 

Gerson nodded in agreement. "Looks like this little whippersnapper's had it tough. A monster her kind and her age should be at least half your height." 

"How would you know?" Chara asked as Gerson tried again to bottle the speedy little tadpole into the jar. 

"I've been around a long time, kiddo. Much longer than I shoulda, but, you know, that's what happens when you've got a mind as sharp as this one." The storekeeper tapped the side of his liver-spotted head to emphasize his point. Chara rolled his eyes. Did every monster in the Underground have the same dry, casual, quasi-flamboyant sense of humor? It was almost as if their dialogue was all scripted by the same person. 

Chara chuckled at the thought and took a step forward to get a better view of the tadpole. The water tugged insistently at his pajama legs, trying desperately to reclaim his attention.

"Here, Gerson, let me try." Holding his hand out for the glass jar and fastening his fingers around its rim when the hot weight settled into his palms, Chara crept forward. Up close, the human caught a glimpse of the tadpole's fine coat of cerulean scales and tuft of red hair at the top of her head, studying the tiny thing with resigned fascination. Her movements were erratic and unpredictable, without a plan or thought any deeper than the animalistic desire to escape. 

The poor thing looked exhausted. 

Exhausted of swimming. 

Exhausted of trying.

Exhausted of living, but too determined to give up. 

Chara understood that feeling from the very core of his being, and the furious desire to save a fellow possessor of such burdens flared like wildfire in his chest. Angling the rim of the jar up towards the ceiling, he brought it crashing down and scooped the tadpole inside. A cap with breathing holes already drilled in was quickly fastened to the top of the jar, and Chara grinned at Gerson triumphantly. He felt incredibly proud of himself for a reason he couldn't quite place. 

"Wahaha! Maybe I should have just asked for somebody else's help earlier. I've been at this for at least an hour. You're a quick one, kiddo." Chara smiled again, growing uncomfortable with how nice the bunching of muscle in his cheeks felt, and held the jar up above him. The tadpole glared at him. 

The first thing he thought was how nice it would be to become friends with her. 

The second thing he thought was how absolutely idiotic that idea was. 

"What are you going to do with her now?" Chara queried, partially out of curiosity and partially out of the desire to blot out the chatter in his skull. 

The turtle laughed and took the jar from Chara's hand, squinting at the tiny figure inside. His gaze was unfocused, and his toothless smile lopsided; his words came out laced in the slow hesitance of someone who hadn't expected to get this far. 

"There's this little water hole outside my house," Gerson began, "I've meant to clean it up for some time now, but I've put it off for so long that there's a whole ecosystem living there now. Algae, minnows, the whole deal. I don't know where they came from, but I'm glad they're here because I think that's where I'm going to put this little squirt for the time being." 

"Is it safe?" Chara asked unthinkingly. 

"Safer than living in that dump." 

No one could argue with that. The two walked along quietly, sighing hushed breaths of relief as they stepped out of the dump water and squeezed the rancid water out of their clothes. A jovial conversion started up about how serendipitous their meeting was. Gerson cracked a few actually funny jokes, and Chara's eyebrows fluttered upwards when the ancient turtle laughed at his sarcastic quips. A weight seemed to lift off his shoulders, slowly but surely, and Chara found himself glancing easily at the little tadpole in the jar. She was staring at him now, angrily and unflinchingly, seemingly fully aware that her current predicament was thanks to the pale face looking back at her. He didn't mind, smiling even as the two reached Gerson's shop and walked around the back to the water hole. Even after popping the jar top off and placing the tadpole in her new home, her animosity towards the human was palpable. 

Disappointing, yes. Surprising, no. That was the way things should be, in all honesty. Chara watched as the tadpole cautiously nibbled some algae growing on the water hole's edges. He turned his attention to Gerson. 

"How do you think she survived?" 

"I don't know. But the determination to live can set in motion all sorts of strange things. I feel like this little squirt has experienced this first hand." 

Determination. Chara knew that feeling, the deep, carnal obsession with things just out of reach. The unquenchable desire to sacrifice whatever necessary to make those things a reality. It was a cosmic curse and divine burden seemingly always placed on the backs of children. The voice in Chara's skull grew louder and more somber, espousing a stream of philosophies he never knew he held. Why them? Why couldn't the universe just let the weak ones die without giving them the dangerous, unflinching determination to live? Things would be so much easier that way. There would be much less pain among those who had experienced nothing else but struggle in their lives. His heart softened as he looked at the little tadpole again, and unbidden grief pressed on his chest as he watched her curl up into a rocky nook and fall asleep. 

"Get over here, Chara!" Gerson called from inside the shop, "I found a whole pack of human chocolate bars in the dump yesterday, and they all look good enough to eat." 

Chocolate? Chara found himself standing inside Gerson's little shop before he could take a full breath, eagerly unwrapping the partially-melted chocolate bar handed to him. He took a seat on one of the upturned boxes scattered around the room and smiled as the gooey goodness slipped down his throat. It had been way too long since the last time he'd had stuff this creamy and heavy. Monster-made chocolate was good, but it would never compare to its surface counterpart. It was the only thing he really missed from his time Up There.

"That lil' tadpole is a cutie, huh?" Gerson commented idly. 

"Mmhmm." 

"What d'ya think we should call her?" 

"Call her?" the human muttered absently. "Maybe...uh..hm. I don't think I have any good ideas." 

"I guess we're in the same boat then. But I'm sure glad that you came along. Who knows what would have happened to that little girl had you not been there. You're a real saint, you know." 

The compliment settled uncomfortably on Chara's shoulder and pulled at the fine hairs at the back of his neck. He nodded and smiled awkwardly, trying not to let his chocolate-stained teeth peek through his lips, and turned his eyes to the floor. Saint was the last word anyone should ever call him, and it was the last word he wanted his self-identity to be fraternizing with. He compressed the newborn memory into a hard ball and shoved it into the back of his psyche, almost entirely unaware of what Gerson was saying until his name was called. 

"-just a guest, Chara. He should be here soon." 

Chara nodded quickly, unwilling and uninterested in asking Gerson to repeat himself. The smell of stale water and wet cardboard filled the room as the human munched unheedingly on his chocolate. 

There was a knock at the door. Chara made a move to answer it but was waved back by the storekeeper. He settled back down, licking the remnants of chocolate off his knuckles and rubbing the brownish residue under his fingers. Shame on him for eating it so quickl-

"Chara!" A deep, hard voice demanded. "Where have you  _ been?"  _

His eyes went wide as they settled on the massive frame standing in the doorway, the purple cape that pooled on the floor, and the tiny crown glittering smugly under the crystal lights. 

Chara cursed under his breath. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh diddly darn. You've read all the way to the end, thanks! You rock! For those who are wondering, Chapter 13 is planned to either come out Saturday morning or afternoon. I need to go back through the story and fix the abundance of typos and other silly errors I've made, and I've scheduled two hours on Saturday morning to do that, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post the story in the morning as well. Anyway, I hope you liked my interpretation of baby Undyne! I had a thought a few days ago that she would look like the Zora Hatchlings from Majora's Mask and I absolutely had to stuff her somewhere in the fic. I hope you guys are ready for the next chapters. 
> 
> Lotsa stuff is gonna go down, and go down HARD. 
> 
> ;)


	13. The Criminal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's all he was. A criminal. 
> 
> (aka: the oh no chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about this late, short upload! It's the most emotionally and lyrically intense chapter so far, and even though not much happens, I wanted it to be perfect. Chapter 13 and 14 were originally one chapter, but I split it up because the atmosphere is too different for them to be together. Also, dramatic intrigue and all that. ;) 
> 
> What's the RecommendedVibe(TM), you ask? No question about it, it's ASGORE Orchestral Suite - Undertale Remix | Laura Platt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGjqr3n-QfU). 
> 
> Alright! Let's get into this (short) chapter!

Chara stared at the figure in the doorway with wide eyes, every muscle in his body locked into place and trembling with dark anticipation. ****

He’d finally been caught. ****

He’d assaulted the son of the King. He’d broken the trust of the only people who’d ever loved him. He’d been recalled to life, given a second chance at redemption, and spat on it all with the meanness and haughtiness of any human being. ****

Whatever came next, he knew he deserved. ****

With a hung head and eyes glazed in resignation, Chara got up off the box he was sitting on and walked over to where the King stood. No point in resisting. No point in hiding when he was already found out. Chara felt the hard, authoritative eyes on his neck, the shifting, uncomfortable gaze of the shopkeeper, the stabbing of hushed words against the ridge of his spine. His eyes flickered upward for a split second to see a quartet of Royal Guards standing just outside the shop. ****

None of them would meet his eye. ****

The King said something to Gerson. Gerson said something back. He didn’t understand anything. All he could hear was the disappointment and anger in the air. ****

He hated himself. ****

He hated himself so much that it hurt. ****

One of the Royal Guards beckoned to Chara and motioned for him to stand between two of them. There weren’t any attempts at striking up conversation. Chara shirked into his pajama shirt, acutely aware of the stares on his back. The guardsmen muttered something unintelligible to each other and silenced themselves when the King stepped out of the shop and turned towards them. The cyan light of the cavern’s crystals reflected off his heavy golden pauldrons. Their eyes met. ****

A thick, furious sorrow burned in the King’s eyes. ****

Chara looked away. ****

His gaze and feet remained fixed on the floor until the King passed in front of him. The Royal Guardsmen had to prod his back with the tips of their spears to get him to move. Chara steeled himself and obeyed. They all walked along in silence, the eerie curiosity of Waterfall and its residents echoing within the walls and the cavity in their chests. Thick, disgusting teardrops began to tumble down Chara's face. His tears left an itchy, salty memory of their path on his skin and slid down the soft flesh of his neck, mocking the human for denying them passage for so many years. Chara could almost pretend that they weren’t his, that they were that of Waterfall’s ever weeping caverns and had nothing to do with the utter brokenness he felt inside. He almost laughed when the thought came to the forefront of his mind. There was no point. ****

He’d never been good at deceiving himself. ****

The soft skin of Chara’s bare feet swished quietly against the floor beneath, accompanied by the King’s hard, authoritative footsteps and the metallic clinking of steel boots. The human, eyes still bleary with a combination of tears and rain, took a second to take in his surroundings. He was surrounded by four guards, one in front, one behind, and two on either side. They seemed to be taking special care that Chara wouldn’t get too close to The King, who was walking a good twenty paces ahead of him. Not a word had been said, but none were needed. ****

Everything reeked of trash and mold and betrayal. ****

They all walked through dark corridors and empty hallways, watching the navy stone morph to baked earth to cool, grey tile. The human found himself walking faster for a reason he couldn’t quite place, even though the King’s cape was always just out of reach, the Royal Guardsmen always just a little bit too close, the memory of what he’d done to Asriel just a little bit too loud. Chara watched distantly as his foot caught on something sharp and sliced open. A single, bloody footstep was the only evidence that The King, his entourage, and the criminal had ever passed through the silent streets of New Home. ****

Their little yellow cottage stared blankly at Chara as he approached. There was no cheerful recognition in its bright bricks or welcoming smell of home cooking oozing from the windows. The birds were silent. The flowers turned their heads away from Chara as he passed by. ****

With a sigh, the King approached the doorstep and rested his hand on the knob. ****

“Gentlemen, you may go.” ****

“My Lord,” the guard in front of Chara began, the golden DeltaRune engraved on his armor setting him apart from the others in both appearance and status, “are you sure? We do not want to leave you alone if you fear that-” ****

“Captain Naiad.” ****

“Your Majesty, please, we only want to ensure the safety of-” ****

“Captain Naiad,” the King repeated, “I am the strongest monster in the Underground. I can protect my family. There is no need to worry.” ****

The guard - Captain Naiad - gave Chara a queer look before turning away. He signaled to his fellow monsters, slitted yellow eyes still trained on the human’s pale face, and motioned for them to be off. Armor clattered in the distance. The door swung open and the two stepped inside, taking special care to not look at each other. ****

“Come,” the King said gravely, motioning for the human to join him in the living room. A thick slush hung in the air, the rotting flesh of dreams deferred and hopes mutilated by a terrible decision. It sat on Chara’s eyelashes and pulled at his ankles, trying to drag him down even farther than he already was. A rush of strength flooded through his veins when the realized judgement awaited him. The steel resolve to approach it with a steady heart cooled the tremors of his fingers and knees. ****

Red embers twirled in the air. The fireplace crackled comfortably. The Queen and the Prince, the latter somehow completely healed and decked in his purple royal garb, sat silently on the couch. Every pair of eyes were resolutely fixed on the floor. The King motioned for Chara to take a seat on the Queen’s recliner as he settled down alongside his family. ****

They sat wordlessly, the Dreemurrs and the criminal both three paces apart and a thousand miles away. ****

A wail broke the silence. 

“Oh, Chara!” the Queen cried, “I am so, so sorry!” 


	14. The Judgment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The criminal is judged for his crimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though this chapter is much shorter than the usual, I hope you can still enjoy it. I thought I'd split up Chapters 13 and 14 so their respective ambience would come through clearer. The RecommendedVibe for this chapter is Undertale: Heartache Remix [Toriel Fight] by GlitchxCity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FJ2aHyuX74).
> 
> Now, to the story!

The human didn't react.

'I'm sorry.' Hmm. That was a nice way to put it. It made sense, the Queen had always taken a liking to him. His execution or exile would be a sad fact for her. A small ember settled on his knuckle and sizzled softly before perishing.

His entire body stiffened when he felt a pair of arms encircle him and pull him close.

"Oh, Chara," The Queen, repeated, pulling him even closer, "Asriel told us everything. We're so sorry!" Warm tears trickled down her face and into Chara's hair. Something deep within his SOUL trembled as he felt another pair of arms pull themselves around him, and then another. He didn't deserve this. What were they doing? Asriel told them everything. Of course he did, he'd never seen the Prince lie the entire time he'd known him. They should know better. They should know better than th-

"I'm sorry for what I did, Chara," Asriel whispered - just loud enough for the King and Queen to hear. His face pressed against the human's temple, an uncomfortable wetness trailing from his fur to Chara's face.

"What are you sorry for?" Chara questioned. The words came out much harder than he expected. All the arms around him drew away and fell sheepishly to the sides of their respective owners.

"Don't pretend you don't remember," the Prince insisted, a strange softness in his voice. "I already told Mom and Dad everything - how I asked you to play with me, and how you didn't want to because you just wanted some time alone, and then how after that I used my magic to beat you up really bad, and how some of it backfired and hit me too, and then how you ran away crying…I'm so sorry."

Oh.

OH.

"This is my fault," Asgore insisted, head bowed. "I'm the one who trained Asriel - I should have prioritized control over strength during our sparring sessions."

"Dad, no! It's, it's - no! No, you didn't do anything wrong, it was me!"

"Asriel. Asgore. This isn't about you two. This is about Chara." Toriel turned her attention to the human, cupping his dry face in her paws. "Sunshine, we had no idea you were so unhappy here. It broke our hearts to hear that the Underground broke yours. Even though we can never heal the pain of leaving your family and friends on the Surface, we are ready to do anything in our power just to make you smile."

It smelled like butterscotch and cinnamon and promises that would never be broken.

Chara sprung to his feet and hugged Asriel harder than he'd hugged anyone in his life. The two rocked back and forth, a thousand of wordless apologies communicated by the slow beating of their hearts.

Recalled to life.

Redeemed.

Asriel had sacrificed himself, his chances at learning magic, his standing in the eyes of his parents, so that Chara would have a third chance.

Chara wasn't going to mess it up this time.

The King stared softly at the scene. The pauldrons on his shoulders shook slightly. Reluctantly, he cleared his throat.

Some things still needed to be said.

"Chara. We know how bright you are. And we remembered how fascinated you were by the CORE..." Asgore's sentence trailed off and he sent a pointed look to the empty hallway.

Asriel picked up from where his father stopped. "We know that you want to get back to the Surface. And we know that you're really smart. So we have a surprise for you. Wait. Close your eyes. No peeking! Okay, okay, now take my hand. Come with me."

The cut on the bottom of Chara's foot stung as he walked across the living room. His eyes were scrunched shut, and a stupid, ridiculous smile sat on his face.

"Okay," Toriel began. Her voice was strung high with excitement. "Open your eyes."

Incrementally, Chara eased his eyelids open. At first he saw nothing, just the ordinary scene of the sparsely-decorated foyer and a thin, backlit silhouette standing in front of him.

A silhouette that looked vaguely familiar.

The smell of static and fried wires was overwhelming.

A silhouette that looked a lot like-

"Welcome back, Chara Dreemurr. I suppose I should say something a little more elaborate to my new laboratory assistant, but introductions aren't really necessary, are they?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 14 chapters, the plot finally begins.   
> ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)


	15. The Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry that this one came out a few hours later than usual, I didn't want to post something as short as I did last time, so I added a bit more than I'd originally planned. The RecommendedVibe for this chapter is Skyhook - Soundtrack (2019) by EpicMountain Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRq5wP6FjIw). It captures the (mostly) upbeat, electronic feeling of this chapter. I highly recommend that you check it out if you're able!   
> Enough chatter. To the story!

It smelled like acid and electricity. 

Chara shifted uncomfortably on the playpen's wiry cushion, trying to restore feeling to his cramped shins. Apparently, sitting cross-legged with a massive textbook cradled between your knees had a way of frustrating the nerves in one's extremities. He shook his head. He needed to focus; these calculations weren't going to do themselves. He picked up the calculator sitting next to him and squinted at the data table lying on top of the textbook, trying to read the tiny numbers scrawled on the far-right column.

"What's the conclusion of the chi-squared test, Chara?" 

"I'm not finished with it," the human mumbled. His eyebrows furrowed together when the calculator spat out a confusing slew of numbers. Of course, he'd left it in scientific mode. Great.

"Work faster." 

The skin on Chara's cheeks turned scarlet. With a grunt, he pushed the textbook off his lap, drinking the catharsis that came with watching that angel-forsaken data table crumple underneath the tome's weight. A familiar, bitter ache pressed at the back of his eyes. He blinked it away and focused instead on Gaster's back, trying to burn all his exhaustion and frustration into a little crease on the scientist's lab coat. The Royal Scientist was tinkering away in the only clean corner of his office, meticulously dripping something from a buret into a flask of clear liquid. Chara's only guess was that this was some sort of titration experiment, but what for, he couldn't tell. 

"Isn't a chi-squared test a little bit of a roundabout way to figure this all out?" Chara wondered aloud.

"I'm not figuring anything out. I already know that Dr. Arnoob's generators malfunction with greater frequency the closer they are to the CORE; I need the statistics to prove that it's more than just a matter of chance." 

"Why do you need to prove anything?" 

The doctor didn't respond. His gloved hands hovered carefully over the buret's stopcock, twisting and turning it ever so slightly to let only the smallest droplets fall from the burnet to the flask underneath. Gaster groaned loudly when the solution suddenly turned bright pink. 

Chara was just as irritated, but for reasons of his own. Could this insufferable scientist tear himself away from his work for only a split second? 

"Well?" 

"I'll gladly answer your question," Gaster finally responded, "but I don't think your massive ego will be able to take the hit." 

The human snorted and adjusted the lab goggles sitting on his face. Not like he needed them, considering that he was sitting in a baby's playpen on the far corner of the lab, but he liked the heavy feeling on the bridge of his nose. 

"My ego? Yeah, right. Just say that you're too afraid to admit your title as Royal Scientist means nothing to your subordinates. So much so, in fact, that you need to go through a convoluted system of calculations and theories to prove something as simple as the fact that Bettie's generators are sub-par."

"Two things. One. To you, she is Dr. Arnoob. Two. I'm just keeping you busy. I don't need the data. It's a novelty at best." 

"..." 

Something hot brimmed behind his eyelashes. Chara picked the goggle's elastic band, forcing himself to focus on anything other than the doctor and the calculations he'd spent the last three hours working on. 

"I see that your ego is hurting." 

"No, it's not," Chara spat. 

"Really? That's too bad." 

Gaster turned to the failed titration experiment sitting behind him. He picked up the flask and dangled it in the air, long fingers hinging themselves on the rim, and watched the bright strains of magenta swirl languidly as he did so. The phenolphthalein indicator was like a light switch. Even though he'd run this experiment and almost identical variants of it a hundred times, it seemed that even a drop too much of base would instantly throw everything off. 

There was nothing he could do with it now. He jotted down a quick note of the failed experiment in his notebook, tossed a disinterested glance at his "laboratory assistant" sitting in the corner, and got up to dispose of the liquid in the chemical waste bin. It was a shame, really, tha--- 

"Argh!" 

The office door swung open, and Gaster only had the time to stand and gape as a blue bunny monster crashed right into him. The two scientists flailed their arms, grunted, and fell backward. Gaster's fingers lost their grip on the flask, which proceeded to shatter spectacularly across the floor. Oh no. No, no, no. Yup. That wasn't safe. Chara scuttled towards the very corner of his playpen, swallowing his amusement at Gaster's clumsiness and eyeing the fuschia liquid on the floor with a harsh, critical glare. That stuff was so volatile that Gaster had to keep the stock chemicals in the fume hood; he was sure that the liquid would slough off his skin and shred the inside of his nostrils if he got too close. 

"Oh, Doctor! Are you alright?" The blue bunny monster said as she drew herself to her feet and extended a hand to help Gaster up. "I'm so sorry for messing up your experiment, I heard you two chatting through the door and thought that you might have been taking a break…" 

"I'm fine. Don't worry about the experiment, it was ruined before you came." Gaster brushed off imaginary dust from his lab coat and turned to face Chara, who was still huddled in the corner of the playpen and glaring maliciously at the chemical spill. The doctor's darkened eye sockets glinted with amusement. "There's no need for all the fanfare. The chemicals are neutralized - for the most part." 

"Sure. Neutralized, of course. That's why the phenolphthalein indicator turned the thing bright pink," Chara snarked. Gaster didn't react, turning his back on his lab assistant as he made his way to the supply closet down the hall. The blue bunny monster watched him go, arms pressed to her sides, and smiled brightly when her eyes settled on Chara's hunched-over form.

"Hiya, cupcake!" 

"Hello, Dr. Arnoob," Chara replied. His greeting was more sincere than most. The human had taken a liking to the bright, bubbly, engineer, as well as the pet names she lathered him with (even though she couldn't build a generator for her life). 

"You know you can just call me Bettie, yeah? And what are you doing in that playpen?" 

"Maybe a certain, uppity Royal Scientist that thinks a black lab coat and permanent scowl makes him cool will have an answer for you." Bettie's fuzzy face cracked into a grin at Chara's open display of defiance, and she opened her mouth to make a comment. The razor-thin figure walking back from the supply closet beat her to it, however. 

"I think putting someone who manages to break every single lab safety rule in one week into a pen is hardly a transgression." 

Bettie didn't even flinch at Gaster's sudden return or even snicker (as Chara did) at the ridiculous array of cleaning supplies he had brought with him. 

"Ya' know, Doctor, I never did take you for the exaggerating type."

"I don't exaggerate," Gaster insisted as he cleaned up the chemicals, "I simply have no reservations speaking unpopular truths."

Bettie and Chara rolled their eyes at the same time. The shattered glass flask sparkled on the floor.

"Uh-huh," Bettie muttered as she crossed her arms and winked at Chara. "I don't know about that. Just look at this little cupcake, he's wearing gloves and goggles even though he's nowhere near your work station."

"Those are my gloves and goggles. Chara forgot to bring a pair."

"I don't have a pair!" the addressed insisted, his voice strung an octave higher than usual. "Do you think that I want to get burned and scarred by all the weird junk in here?"

Gaster, having had cleaned up the spill, turned his attention to the abandoned experiment sitting on his desk and set to work dismantling it. "That's the only way to explain why you never remember to tie up your hair whenever you step into the lab. Or why you're always snacking side-by-side vials labeled "strong acid" or "strong base" or "highly corrosive substance."

"Oh please, Grumpster," Bettie began with a smile, "Chara's only been here a handful of days. You can't expect him to immediately act like a veteran scientist. He'll get used to it fast, yeah, smart guy?" Bettie ruffled Chara's hair and helped him out of the playpen. The human grunted as the nerves in his legs flickered and stung from the sudden movement, but he quickly swallowed his discomfort. "Anyway," the bunny scientist began, "Lambdys has got spider donuts and cake downstairs. He asked me to come up here and get you."

Lambdys? Oh, must be the Dr. Lambdys he'd heard about. The name had been thrown around constantly during his short time at the CORE. Even though he spent almost every waking hour he had after school and training here, he'd never met the elusive scientist.

"It's very nice of him to visit," Gaster commented as the group made their way out of the office and towards the elevator. The scientist even had the decency to wait as Chara tossed off the goggles and gloves before following behind. "How long has it been, a month?"

"He's not visiting. He's back," Bettie said with the heavy drawl of someone delivering what was expected to be common knowledge. She pressed the lobby button on the elevator's keypad as the metal doors swung shut.

"Already?"

"Doctor, how long do you think parental leave  _ is _ ?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Whatever you say, Grumpster. Care to explain why you've got a baby's playpen on hand?"

"I found it in the dump."

"Who's Lambdys?" Chara queried as they stepped out of the elevator, anxious to steer the discussion away from anything remotely involving his awkward confinement situation.

"He's our communications specialist." The Royal Scientist gave Chara a thoughtful, sidelong look that brought a queer lightness to the bottom of the human's feet. After thinking for a few more seconds, Gaster smiled. "Now that I think about it, he'd probably hate you."

"Doctor!" Bettie protested.

Chara grunted. Gaster smirked. Bettie placed a comforting hand on Chara' shoulder and guided the trio towards their destination. They made their way down hallways glittering with cerulean chrome and floors padded with grey cushions. Pink, thick wires snaked along the walls like a web of capillaries. Chara brushed his hand along their plastic ridges and smiled as the buzz of electricity tickled the pads of his fingers.

There was something incomparably enigmatic and intriguing about the CORE.

And its creator.

Dark eyes settled on the small of Gaster's back, who was now walking a good few paces ahead in time with Bettie. A weight fell on Chara's shoulders, one that pressed downwards on his collarbone and spine and pelvis and threatened to crush all the bones to fine dust. He tried to wave away the feeling, push it to the back of his mind, but it only latched on harder.

It took a few seconds for Chara to register the scene splayed out in front of him as they all turned the last corner. The lobby was alight with smiling faces and vibrant, festive air. Streamers were hung from posts, a pile of presents sat cheerfully in one corner of the room, tables laden with cakes, cookies, and donuts were flanked by an army of plastic chairs. What was going on? Was it this guy's birthday or something? Chara's eyes alighted on a banner hanging over the northmost wall. The words "WELCOME BACK LAMBDYS; CONGRATS ON BABY" were painted haphazardly on it.

A familiar sentiment ticked the back of Chara's mind. Perhaps this party was organized by the smartest minds in the Underground, but it was clear they couldn't make heads or tails of basic design principles. It felt right, somehow. A little bit of balance in everything. As things should be.

Chara's eyes drifted across the scene, taking in the haphazard formality of the event: the mismatched socks and eyesores of outfits the scientists had put on to welcome back their friend, the stinted, strange conversation, the half-inflated balloons crammed into one corner. Well, at least they tried. His focus fell on the Royal Scientist, who was currently straining against the confines of small talk with one of the receptionists. Chara felt his legs propel him towards the spot the Royal Scientist uncomfortably stood. 

"Excuse me, Doctor?" Chara heard himself say, interrupting the dry conversation Gaster had found himself stuck in. "Would you like me to grab you anything?"

The Royal Scientist studied the odd look on Chara's face.

"No."

Even the receptionist shifted under the sudden air of awkwardness that had settled under the group. Chara nodded his head, choking back the hot saliva on his tongue, and walked off in a random direction. That's what he got for trying to be helpful. The weight on his back grew heavier. If the pressure was as real as the bones they weighed on, he would have been crippled from the waist down. Stupid, stupid, stupid…the thoughts in his head grew louder and darker until said head bumped into Bettie's back.

"Good grief! Clumsiness seems to be very in-vogue today," the bunny scientist laughed as she turned to face Chara. The human gave a forced smile, the strange gesture turning into more of a grimace as the cracked skin of his cheeks tore. Bettie's eyes softened. "Would you like me to introduce you to the monster himself?"

"Who?" Chara asked.

"Lambdys! The one and only. C'mon, take my hand. I think you'll like him."

Chara let the vibrant scientist pull him along, his earlier thoughts still sitting heavily on his mind. 

"Gaster said he'll hate me." 

"We'll just have to go and see, yeah?" Bettie responded, not missing a beat. They approached an olive-colored lizard monster who was currently working through a plateful of spider croissants, laughing alongside a group of scientists cracking a host of terrible jokes. Apparently, these guys' had a sense of humor just as elaborate as their sense of style. Bettie moved forward to lightly tap Lambdys' shoulder, and the monster's entire body spasmed at the touch.

"Ah!!" he exclaimed, eyes wide from surprise. "Bettie! You could have made me drop my croissant!" 

"Nice to see you too, Lamb-de-doo. Being a father has certainly turned you into a jumpy little thing, huh?"

A few of the other scientists tittered, their conversation trailing off and dissolving when it became clear that Lambdys was no longer a part of it. The lizard monster fiddled with the paper plate in his hand and smiled at Bettie's cheerful teasing.

"Oh, stop. Fatherhood is hard. I haven't slept a full night since the day that little tyke hatched." Lambdys ran a hand down his scaly face, pointing at the darkened bags under his eyes. "Please, if I ever talk about having another kid, shake me out of it. One boy is more than enough."

"If I know anything about you, it's that there's no way you're sticking to that decision."

"Oh, yeah?" Lambdys insisted, grinning as he quirked the lizard equivalent of an eyebrow.

" _ Oh _ , yeah. Listen up, I bet 100G that by this time next year, you'll have another kid in the house."

"That's a bad bet if I've ever heard one. You're on."

The two glared at each other for only a handful of seconds before they broke out in laughter. Chara slid behind Bettie's shadow, growing more and more uncomfortable with this exclusive air of camaraderie he had no part in. 

"There was actually somebody I wanted you to meet," Chara heard Bettie say.

"Is there a new scientist? I haven't been gone  _ that  _ long, have I?"

"No, not exactly. Here," Bettie took hold of Chara's hand and gently urged him into Lambdys' line of sight, "this is Dr. Gaster's new lab assistant. I thought you two would make great friends."

The lizard monster stared at him with wide eyes, first sputtering, then stammering, then taking an assortment of hasty steps backward before crashing into the wall behind him. His croissants slipped from the paper plate he haphazardly held and thumped sadly onto the floor. 

"T-t-the  _ human? What? Gaster? Human? _ " Lambdys seemed to be tottering on the precipice of a mental breakdown. A stream of half-consumed sentence fragments poured from his mouth as he looked back and forth from the human to Bettie. The pupils of his eyes crept upwards towards his forehead, threatening to leave only sclera behind. 

"It's rude to talk about someone when they're listening," a familiar voice asserted. Everybody flinched from the sudden noise; Chara gasped and clutched a hand to his chest, trying to catch his suddenly-racing heart. This guy. This GUY. It was almost as if he could be summoned just by saying his name.

"OoooooOOOOOhhhhH. Uggghhh, Dr. Gaster! You scared me half to death," Lambdys said, still leaning against the wall behind him. Gaster extended a hand to pull him off the wall and awkwardly patted him on the shoulder in both recognition and welcome, repeating his earlier statement with a smile. The lizard monster didn't break eye contact with Chara. "Sir, if you have a moment, may I please talk to you?"

Gaster nodded, then turned to Chara.

"I told you," he said simply.

The two scientists walked off to a corner of the lobby, stepping carefully over the croissants sitting sadly on the tile floor. Bettie picked them up and lobbed them in the trash.

"I'm sorry, Chara. That's not how I expected things to go," the bunny monster conceded. If the human heard her, he didn't respond. His eyes were still trained on Gaster and Lambdys.

"I'll be back in a second," the human said. He turned heel before Bettie could say anything and crossed the lobby with a confident, electric air of self-importance. Maybe it was curiosity. Perhaps it was pride. Possibly it was a combination of the two that compelled him to investigate whatever slander might be thrown on his name by the pair of scientists. His back straightened, chin perked, and eyes squinted.

As he weaved through the crowd, Gaster's baritone voice came into earshot.

".... can't even write a basic balanced reaction, wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know what an oxidation state was. Don't worry, I don't let him around anything sensitive..."

A scientist chewing especially loudly on a bag of potato chips walked by, and Chara had to bite back the snarky words burning on the tip of his tongue. He maneuvered over to a quieter area of the lobby and settled on one of the plastic chairs around a mostly-abandoned table. Even though his back was turned to the conversation, he could hear the tremor in Lambdys' voice.

"...a human, do you know what this means?"

"I'm much more careful than you give me credit for, Dr. Lambdys."

"No, no, no. I'm not talking about that. The SOUL, the SOUL! Think about what we can do with the SOUL!"

Every muscle in Chara's body seized at once.

"Don't give me that look!" Lambdys' voice hushed and dropped further, forcing Chara to strain his ears to hear the next words. "My plan isn't pedicide. Oh, I can't believe you would think that -- I'm a father, for angels' sake! But if we can get the King and Queen to agree to testing, just think--"

"I have thought, and I've come to the conclusion that it's nothing more than a pipe dream. Anyway, their Majesties would never agree to such a thing. And the human...his heart is much too cold to burn with any kind of altruistic light. 

Chara's eyes flew open. His heart flared and trembled within him, and a fiery rush of adrenaline tore at the pores on his arms and neck. Apathetic. Cold. Self-absorbed...all words that had been thrown at him time and time again. Words that he was determined to prove wrong. He was sick of it. He was sick of the slander, sick of the mockery, sick of being labeled "just a human." 

If he had to perish trying to save monsterkind, so be it. His SOUL flared. He could barely process the way his body lifted itself from the chair and sprinted to the elevator. 

He had a job to do. 

He couldn't wait. 

Gaster watched the human's retreating form, Lambdys' pleas and rationalizations growing meaningless as he did. 

The Royal Scientist grinned. 

That was much easier than he'd expected. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter! It was partially inspired by my own struggles with titration experiments in my chemistry class...just a drop too much base and everything's ruined! And Dr. Arnoob's name might sound really weird, because it is. 'Arnoob' is the Arabic word for 'rabbit,' and, you know, I just had to put it in there. Puns and things, yeah?  
> If you have any thoughts please leave them down below! I always respond, and seeing the comment or kudos notification pop up in my inbox is an indescribable feeling. :D


	16. The Compliment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster's plan comes to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope you are all doing well! Just some housekeeping things before we begin. First of all, this chapter in no way is implying anything shippy between Chara and Gaster. If their relationship seems to come off as a little odd, or, God forbid, romantic, try and think of it as Chara being a massive, massive Gaster fanboy. Hope that clears up any confusion! And second, the RecommendedVibe for this chapter is nothing other than Deltarune's Field of Hopes and Dreams! Copy and paste this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7PrYj7xIRg&t=47s) into YouTube to not only listen to a very fitting song, but an extremely good one as well. 
> 
> I can't tell you all how excited I am to finally get this chapter out! Let's begin, shall we?

The purple silk of Chara's royal garb fell awkwardly around his thin, wiry frame, almost as if it knew it was never made to drape a human's body. He shifted awkwardly under the weight of the heavy cotton and hot silk, picking at the collar and the indigo detailing. The Deltarune embroidered on the robe's torso was heavy with bright thread and pulled awkwardly at his shoulders.

In short, it was an exceptionally ill-fitting garment.

Chara gave his reflection a closer look, leaning closer into the LAB's polished floor tiles and scrutinizing the pale face that stared back. His hands patted back a few silky strands of hair that had weaseled out the elegant pair of french braids draping his shoulders. His fingers rubbed against the sallow skin of his nose and forehead in an attempt to restore some sort of color to it.

This was it.

This was the night.

The night of the presentation.

After weeks upon weeks of careful, subtle bargaining, Chara had finally gotten Asgore and Toriel to consider allowing testing on his SOUL. Emphasis on c _onsider_. The Queen had set forth a compromise: if the Royal Scientist was able to thoroughly convince the Royal Family that the operations were not only safe but beneficial for both Chara and the Underground, testing would be permitted.

Chara chuckled as he remembered the way the scientists had whooped when he delivered the news. The way Bettie had grinned, the way Lambdys had crushed him into a hug, the endless pairs of paws and hands ruffling his hair. He smiled stupidly at himself, noticing with a start that his reflection looked quite handsome when he did so. The memory played on repeat in his mind: the shouts that Chara was the Underground's hero, the hope of all humans and monsters...

The smile sloughed off his face in dark, bitter shards as he remembered one monster who'd taken no part in the festivities.

_"Once the King and Queen agree to all of this, once the project begins, once the Barrier is broken...then perhaps I will consider you to be the hero all my colleagues see you as. For now, you are only playing in an empty field of hopes and dreams. I'm not one to tag along for mindless frolicking."_

A thick, crimson insistence burned deep within Chara's chest cavity. Perhaps Gaster remained suspicious and wary of him, but not for long. Victory was so close Chara could smell it; it was going to take a little more than spite and disregard to discourage him.

"Uh, Prince Chara? The King and Queen say they will be here soon. Dr. Gaster would like to review the phlebotomy procedure with you before they arrive."

Chara quirked an eyebrow at Lambdys, who currently had a phone squeezed between the side of his head and his shoulder and was idly nibbling on a spider donut. The lizard monster was carrying far too many papers and had his name tag on backward. Classic Lambdys.

"Do we really need to call it a 'phlebotomy?' It's such a misleading term."

Lambdys grinned in the way only someone totally ignorant of social cues or subtle sarcastic undertones would after hearing such a comment. He muttered something about Chara being such a brilliant, brilliant boy before he was once again taken up in his mobile conversation. Chara's eyes, no longer interested in Lambdys' awkward antics, searched the mostly-empty LAB for any hint of the Royal Scientist. There was the brief hissing of black cloth on white tile up the loft -- must have been him. With a grunt, Chara heaved himself and his blasphemously heavy robe onto the escalator.

"Hiya, cupcake! Do you need anything to eat?"

Bettie's voice perked up as soon as Chara stepped off the escalator and onto the loft floor. The bunny monster, who was presently preoccupied with untangling the projector's thick, rubbery cables, gestured to the countertop next to her. On top sat a vegetable plate with a sad little pot of hummus in the middle. Everything on it looked a little bit wilted, if not rotted entirely. Still, Chara swiped a brownish carrot across the hummus' surface and stuck it in his mouth. He nodded at Bettie as he walked off, noticing the vegetable's strangely fermented taste with a grimace as he made his way across the loft.

The Royal Scientist was busying himself in a wide assortment of medical devices, hovering his fingers over the silvery array before picking out a few with premeditated precision.

"You said you needed me?"

Gaster nodded, not looking up from the station where he worked. "You are ready, I presume?"

"...yeah," Chara replied lamely.

"Perhaps, then, it is not necessary to go over the entire procedure right now. I believe Dr. Arnoob is in greater need of your assistance than me at the moment." The Royal Scientist folded a bright blue tourniquet and placed it on the supply cart. 

Chara's eyes flickered over to the scientist in question and noted that the statement was indeed true. Instead of untangling the projector's wires, it seemed that the bunny monster had tied them into an impossible knot. The look on her face suggested she was ready to slice the rubbery cables apart in her fury. Chara sauntered over, a relaxed, comfortable smirk on his face, and jolted harshly when Gaster spoke up again.

"Chara. Face me for a moment, if you would."

Chara had heard this instruction countless times over his past two months working as Gaster's assistant, typically whenever he was caught with his nose in data he shouldn't have been investigating or when he was found adventuring in the stock closet. But never had Gaster said those words with the patient, almost loving affability he was now.

So, Chara turned around. He stiffened when Gaster crouched onto his knees and placed a hand on his shoulders.

"You look quite like a prince in that outfit," Gaster mused as he tucked a stray lock behind Chara's ear. "Please, do not let the nerves get to you. You will do wonderful."

Chara's heart pounded. His eyes went wide. The pads of his fingers grew white as his digits curled into confused fists. A horrible, terrible, humiliating smile tugged the corners of his lips. The human looked away, acutely aware of the burning blush on his face.

He...

He felt...

He felt wanted. 

He felt needed.

Dark eyes skittered over Gaster's face, unable to completely hide the careful joy behind heavy lashes, and dropped back to the floor. Chara grinned wider and resisted the urge to wrap his arms around Gaster's ribs when the scientist pulled back and away.

"Now, Chara, would you please help Bettie with the wires?"

"Of course!" Chara heard himself chirp, walking over to where the bunny scientist sat with a spring in his step and smile on his face.

Gaster watched cooly, analyzing Chara's uncharacteristic gaiety with detached interest, and turned to sanitize his hands as soon as the human's back was turned.

»»————- ♡ ————-««

Asriel did not like Hotland.

He liked it even less when he was forced to wear these stupid, angel-forsaken royal robes and had to fasten these dumb silver pauldrons to his shoulders. Of all things, why the pauldrons? It wasn't like he was going to fight someone. He sighed heavily as the wide, white doors of the LAB swished open. His SOUL constricted within him as he took in the scene: a row of chairs set out in front of a projector, a cart laden with medical supplies, a trio of scientists surrounding a very cheerful looking Chara.

Asriel subconsciously gripped his parent's paws a little tighter.

"Oh, how tense," the King murmured as they stepped inside. "Asriel...just think of it like...a trip to the dentist."

"Dr. Gaster is much scarier than the dentist," Asriel muttered to himself. From the tight, worn expressions on the Royal Family's face, it was clear that they all found some truth in the statement.

"Your Majesties!" Lambdys said as Asgore, Toriel, and Asriel stepped inside the LAB. "It's such a pleasure to have you all here tonight. May I show you your seats?"

"Please, sir," Asriel twittered, his voice cowering under the grumbling of the overhead fans and humming of the projector. Ever after sitting down and relaxing, his eyes wouldn't tear themselves away from Chara and Gaster. It was strange how close they stood to each other, how easy and friendly their conversation was...

How he'd never seen that bright, vibrant smile on Chara's face before...

The network of muscles lacing Asriel's ribs contracted at once. There was no physical pain in the movement, none at all, but somehow felt like a small piece of him had been ripped apart. His shoulders drooped slightly from the sudden pressure on his back, and the Prince didn't need to be told that it wasn't the pauldrons weighing him down. He swiped a paw across his muzzle, almost as if he could wipe off the trembling frown that sat on his lips.

"How is your son, Doctor?" Toriel queried as Dr. Arnoob -- was that her name? Asriel could never remember -- pulled up the PowerPoint.

"Oh, just fine," Lambdys began. "He...well...all I'm going to say is that I have such great respect for you two now. I always knew that raising a child was tough, but it's a different game entirely when you experience it yourself."

The topic of fatherhood was a comfortable and familiar one for the Asgore, and the broad-chested King guffawed at the truth in this statement. "I know exactly where you're coming from, Doctor. When this boy here was just a little thing," Asgore teased as he ruffled the fur on Asriel's head, "he ensured that neither Toriel nor I got more than three hours sleep every night."

"What's your precious little child's name?" Toriel asked, adjusting the crown on her head.

"Do you have any pictures?" Asriel blurted out.

"How old is he?" Asgore questioned.

Lambdys stuttered and blushed, unsure how to respond by this avalanche of curiosity -- from the Royal Family themselves, no less -- and reached for his phone. He pulled up a photo album and handed the device to Asriel, reddening when the Prince squealed at the baby's pictures and pressed a superfluous amount of air-kisses to the screen.

Gaster flicked idly through the PowerPoint as Chara fiddled with the blood bottles, syringes, and wipes sitting on the cart; hopefully, this domestic chatter will ease the Royal Family's discomfort, the two mused to themselves.

"How do you say his name again?" Asriel asked.

"Delphys. Del-fiss. Like that! Perfect!"

Dr. Arnoob, having had finished connecting the PowerPoint to the projector, waltzed over to where the Royal Family sat. She placed a paw on Lambdys' shoulder, a mischievous smile on her face.

"You know, this guy isn't that creative when it comes to names," the bunny scientist teased, grinning at the confused look on Asriel's face. "He just takes any letter from the Greek alphabet and adds a '-phys' to the end."

"I do not!"

Toriel giggled and turned to Asgore, giving him a hard stare that was probably intended to communicate some nonverbal, mutually-shared sentiment. The King stared back blankly.

"Okay, okay, wait," the bunny monster insisted as she waved her hand in the air. "Let me just think of some names you would use. Uh....alright. Betaphys...Rhophys--"

"Those are terrible!" Lambdys protested. Toriel and Asriel chuckled. Asgore still looked a bit lost, as if he couldn't quite place why those names weren't acceptable.

"No, wait, I'm not done! Okay, ah...Kaphys...Zetaphys....Alphys..."

"That last one is quite cute," Asgore commented.

"Uh...I actually agree," the lizard monster conceded sheepishly.

There were a few seconds of silence before Dr. Arnoob and Toriel burst into riotous laughter. Toriel wiped a tear from her eye, and Dr. Arnoob placed her hands on her knees, wheezing heavily. Lambdys and Asgore stared at each other and shrugged simultaneously; neither of them could figure out what was so funny.

"Your Majesties, we are ready to begin," Dr. Gaster finally announced.

Asriel handed Lambdys' phone back and placed his hands in his lap, trying not to cringe when the light dimmed and the familiar figures around him faded into the darkness.

"As you all know, we are here to present our rationale on why the Royal Family should permit a carefully-monitored study of Prince Chara and the nature of his SOUL. Not only would such an endeavor promise a quick and painless path to the Underground's freedom, and not only is it completely safe, but it will provide an invaluable and enriching experience for the young human."

Even in the dark, Asriel could see Chara's smile brighten.

A bitterness rose at the back of his throat as Dr. Gaster droned on. The acid had nowhere to go and no one to latch on to, opting instead to settle onto Asriel's bones and rot the delicate enamel of his teeth. The Prince blinked away the water building in his eyes and forced himself to focus back on the presentation.

"---would involve extraction and analysis of the SOUL's composition, which would lend us the information and materials necessary to create synthetic replicas. These replicas would enable us to bloodlessly and harmlessly harness the power required to break the Barrier."

Even though they all knew that breaking the Barrier was the end goal of this project -- it had been the main selling point of the idea as a whole -- it was still ethereal to hear the words drop so easily off the scientist's mouth. It was extremely rare that Gaster spoke with the absolute confidence that he did now. He often resorted to cryptic riddles or clever avoidance when asked to directly state the hypothetical results of any given experiment...

But this time was different, and they all knew it. Bitterness and fear forgotten, Asriel found his eyes straining themselves open and his bottom tottering on the edge of his seat. The petulant creaking of the two chairs beside him indicated that his parents were both in a state of cautious, careful hope.

"In order to be fully transparent in regards to the conditions that Prince Chara will be working under, we thought it necessary to give a demonstration. As such..." Gaster made a motion with his wrist, and the overhead lights flickered to life. The projector and its screen were pushed to the side as Chara took center stage, a satisfied grin still on his face.

For a split second, the whole world was silent. Time slowed as a red glow emanated deep within Chara's chest, hidden behind layers of cotton and silk and skin and bone. The crimson outline of a heart sparkled to life on his chest. Another twist in time, another splinter in reality, and Chara's SOUL was called out from its resting place. It flickered in front of everyone, brazen and churlish, and cast a dark red glow on the floor around it.

If Dr. Gaster had been any less of a royal confidant and close family friend, there was no doubt Asgore would have throttled the scientist on the spot.

"Queen Toriel, King Asgore, what we are about to do next is an extremely simple and routine extraction procedure. It is comparable to phlebotomy, a blood draw, and is about as painful and harmless as one. I will need your permission to continue with the demonstration, Your Majesties."

There was a hot moment of extreme, suffocating tension, but the King and Queen eventually nodded. Chara looked to be at complete ease, as if this had been done a thousand times before. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Dr. W.D. Gaster was the most qualified monster in the entire Underground to perform such a procedure.

And so it began.

"I understand that this is an intensely uncomfortable situation, so in order to ease the tension and confusion in the room, I am willing to narrate each step of the process. Would you find that helpful, Your Majesties?"

The partially-relieved look in the King and Queen's face was more than enough of an answer in the affirmative.

"Very well. First, I am going to sanitize a small portion of the Prince's SOUL with a chlorhexidine wipe. Although we are not sure whether human SOULs are organic, there is no need to risk infection," Dr. Gaster explained as he rubbed down the middle of the SOUL with a small, palm-sized wipe. The Royal Scientist proceeded to explain the tourniquet's functionality as he wrapped it around the fullest part of the SOUL and why a 1.1 millimeter catheter would be used instead of the more common 1.3 or 1.8 variants. After that, a trio of plastic vials, each with different colored caps, were held up in front of the audience. As the sanitized patch on Chara's SOUL dried, the Doctor patiently and thoroughly described the necessity of each bottle and how their color-coded capes indicated different processing procedures. "Now that the point of withdrawal has been fully sanitized, I am going to connect the needle with the vacutainer." The two latched onto each other with a satisfying snap. "The latter will connect to the blood bottles -- as is their name in standard human medical practice -- and ensure that nothing leaks. Now, Your Majesties, I am going to place the needle into the SOUL and extract a very small portion of the vitality within. If you would like me to stop, please say so now."

Asgore and Toriel looked at each other.

Asriel bit back a scream and dug his claws further into the dirty cushion of the chair he sat on.

"Doctor," Toriel began, "you may continue."

Thin, bone-like fingers wrapped around Chara's SOUL and pressed the needle deep within. A purple capped bottle was popped inside the vacutainer, and it quickly filled with a brilliant, ruby liquid. The purple capped bottle was deftly swapped for a yellow one, then a gray one, then the needle was swiftly pulled out. A few drops of crimson liquid dribbled out, flecked with cyan and gold, only to be wiped away by the sanitizing wipe. The SOUL flickered and receded back into the human's chest.

Chara was beaming. His face, delicate and pale and framed by two twin braids, was alight with brilliant confidence. The robe pulled at the sinewy muscles in his arms and tightened around his chest as he folded his hands behind his back.

More words were exchanged. More explanation given on the curious liquid lapping about in the three plastic vials, how they were necessary to the project, how they would be used as a base to create the synthetic souls, how rarely this procedure would be performed...

Asriel heard none of it. Asriel understood none of it.

All he knew was that Chara didn't want him anymore. 

All he knew was that Chara didn't need him anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We haven't had enough Asriel angst lately, so here you go! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you've got any thoughts, questions, or general comments, please don't feel afraid to leave a review. I read all of them and always respond, and every time I get the notification for a kudos/review I get just a little more determined to keep writing and to keep getting better. God bless you all, and please stay safe during this crazy and uncertain time.


	17. The Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the story the fic is named after comes to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes from the author: I hope you all enjoy this chapter! The RecommendedVibe this time is It’s OK, You’re OK by Bonjr. It’s fitting in everything from the ethereal, sad tone to the name itself. Here is the link! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Nr0JSVLWw&t=13s)  
> Anyway, to the story!

The squeak of pen on paper and gentle shuffling of paperwork were the only sounds in the LAB. The King and Queen had agreed to permit the experiments, albeit with a few more restrictions and regulatory procedures than the scientists had anticipated, and there was a vast array of papers that needed signing. Lambdys guided the monarchs through the multitudes of forms and waivers that needed to be read and agreed to. Chara sat wedged between the King and Queen, his brilliant grin somehow more radiant than before, and signed his each form with the finality and flare of a national hero. 

Asriel paced back and forth across the LAB's main floor. His eyes occasionally flickered to the loft, where his entire family sat signing papers he had no part or play in. Part of him mourned the fact that Dr. Arnoob had already left; even though they barely knew each other, Asriel had found her liveliness and noiseness comforting. It was okay, though. He was okay. He would just wait, and they then would all go home, and then Mom would give them dinner and dessert and tuck them both into bed with a kiss. And then, as they were falling asleep, Chara would remember how much Asriel loved him, and everything would be good again. 

He muttered these words with the hushed insistence people often do when they try to deceive themselves. The tile underneath his feet grew cold, and the pink pads of his feet cringed from their coolness. Asriel scrunched a fistful of his royal robes in his hands and twisted it back and forth, leaving a matrix of crumples and wrinkles behind. Maybe he just needed to get some fresh air? Fresh air. Yeah, that sounded good.

With quick, hurried steps, Asriel speed walked out of the LAB and took a seat on the dusty, baked stone pathway suspended above the lava. He dangled his feet over the edge and smiled as the heat brought back the feeling to his feet. His eyes drifted to the boiling red sea below him. Magma was such a strange thing. The hot, yellow sludge beneath bubbled and tore through the cooler sheet of orange on top, leaving strings of red and white in their wake. Puffs of scalding air drifted upwards at regular intervals. A blistering breeze ruffled Asriel's hair. He leaned back on his hands, letting his mind wander. What would happen if something fell down there? His claws scrabbled idly on the pathway and extracted a little hardened lump from the burnt earth. Eyebrows piqued, he tossed it into the magma below. It hissed furiously upon contact and was promptly silenced as it sank underneath layers of red and orange and yellow. 

Wow. 

What would happen if _he_ fell in there?

"Prince Asriel, may I take a seat next to you?"

Asriel's muscles jerked in surprise, and he whipped his head around so fast that a bone popped and the fur of his neck grew very hot. His eyes landed on the thin, imposing form of Dr. Gaster, who had taken off his black lab coat and was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans.

For some reason, the odd normalcy of his outfit was comforting. Asriel scooted over and patted the spot next to him, not sure exactly how to phrase his answer to the Royal Scientist. Dust rose in pathetic clouds as Dr. Gaster took a seat beside him. Asriel folded his hands on his lap and stared anxiously at the ceiling. 

"How are you feeling, young Prince?" 

"...me?"

"Well, there is only one prince."

"No…” Asriel’s eyes grew cloudy. “There's Chara too. Didn't you guys call him a prince during the presentation?"

"Indeed."

The fur above Asriel's eyes cinched together. He gave the Royal Scientist a look that was a cross between incredulous and genuinely confused.

"Why, why did you guys call him that? A prince, I mean?"

"Did the term disturb you?" Dr. Gaster questioned. The dark, empty pits that made up his eyes were trained on something far off.

A chord deep within Asriel twanged.

"No...no. No, it didn’t. But, isn’t that something you call the King and Queen’s son?"

"I believe so," the Royal Scientist replied. There was a lingering confusion in his voice. 

Asriel's chest blossomed with warmth, and an old hurt buried deep within his heart ached once again. He'd thought it healed a long time ago, but it stung with all the rawness and freshness of a newly-earned wound.

“...that would make Chara my brother, right?” Asriel whispered.

“Technically, yes,” the scientist mused. Asriel's heart beat faster, and he hid his face in his hands. Dr. Gaster's head tilted to one side, and tiny pinpricks of light within the pits of his eyes flickered to life. Growing uncomfortable under the hard stare, Asriel subconsciously scooted away. “But Chara is no brother to you,” the scientist remarked. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You know exactly what I mean.” 

A crimson flush stained Asriel's cheeks. He felt his voice tighten with indignation.

“Chara’s not bad.”

“I didn’t say he was.” 

The Prince huffed and turned to look at the flat stone ceiling above his head. His legs swayed over the edge. The fur of his feet was now browned and nearly blackened from the heat beneath, but he didn't feel a thing. “Chara...Chara’s good! He wants to save monsterkind! He’s, he’s better than me!" Asriel's voice quivered as he pushed on. "I...I don’t want the barrier to be broken. I’m selfish. He’s...he’s not selfish.” 

“What do you mean, you don’t want the barrier to be broken?” 

“I’m selfish," Asriel lamely supplied.

“We all are. You aren’t answering my question.” 

If the air had been any less torrid, Asriel's face would have been wet with tears. But the air greedily sucked up the salt and water trickling down his face.

Oh, he was _such_ a crybaby.

This was why Chara hated him. This was why Chara didn't want to be his brother or even be his friend. He was so selfish, so weak, so emotional...

“...what would happen to me?" Asriel heard himself mumble. "If we get to the Surface, I would become a prince of nothing. Who--what would I be?” 

Dr. Gaster's shoulders fell. He settled his elbows on his knees and the lights in his eyes grew brighter.

“There is more to life than titles and prestige.”

This wasn't the answer Asriel had been expecting. He looked at the scientist with wide, curious, questioning eyes, begging for elaboration. Dr. Gaster said nothing and explained nothing, and instead swung himself up on long, boney legs and extended a hand towards Asriel. He held out his gloved hand and pulled the Prince to his feet, leading him away from the pathway's edge. 

"Trust me, Prince Asriel," Dr. Gaster began as they made their way back to the LAB, "You are the only one in the Underground worthy of this title. You always have been. You always will be. Your strength and determination will be the redemption of monsterkind. Not Chara’s.” 

This wasn't supposed to be comforting.

But it was.

Asriel sighed and crumpled slightly under the weight of his pauldrons. 

"I don’t--” 

“You don’t have to believe me. The future will prove my statement to be true. I’ll be going now, Your Majesty.” Dr. Gaster walked ahead and hovered at the LAB's threshold. He placed a hand on the white sliding doors and looked back swiftly. “Is there anything else you would like to say?” 

A tear dribbled off Asriel's face and landed on the hot, baked stone beneath with an angry hiss. The dirt around it darkened and crumbled.

“Dr. Gaster…please. Please take care of Chara for me.” 

The scientist’s eyelights flickered and disappeared.

“I will, if only for your sake.” 

»»-««

The fire crackled. Asriel skated the metal underbelly of his spoon over the hard, sugary crust of his creme brulee. His back and chest felt curiously light after the pauldrons and heavy royal garments were swapped out for silken pajamas; he was so, _so_ glad to finally be home. The muscles in his back groaned happily as Asriel rolled his shoulders in small circles. 

"Are you going to eat that?" Chara questioned, setting his empty ramekin down and making a movement to take Asriel's.

"Yes. Wait, no, don't take it! Chara, no!" Squeals echoed off the living room walls as Asriel held his dessert above his head. His face broke out into a wide smile as Chara waggled his fingers threateningly.

"I'll tickle you if you don't...." Chara's dark eyes glittered playfully.

"No! It's mine! Mom! Mom!! Mom, help me!" 

Toriel chuckled from across the room. She wiped her hands on her nightgown, trying to scrub off the faint burning sensation the window cleaner fluid had left on her hands. A pun started to come together in her mind before Asriel let out a particularly loud squeal of protest.

"Gentlemen," she urged, "please try and keep it down. Your father is trying to sleep. And, Chara, please don't take Asriel's desert if he asks you not to."

"Okay, Mrs. Queen Mom," Chara conceded. If the chastisement had struck a chord with the dark-eyed, pale-skinned human, there was nothing to show for it. 

"Asriel, please finish your creme brulee quickly. I would like you to both get to bed soon; it's been a very long day for everyone."

"Mmmkay."

Chara and Asriel settled back into a comfortable silence. Asriel pressed the tip of his spoon into the dessert, grinning as the sugar crust gave way with a satisfying crack, and scooped up the soft goodness inside. He half-expected Chara to be enviously observing the whole affair, but instead the human's eyes were trained on the fireplace embers.

“Think about that, Azzy," Chara said suddenly.

"Think about what?"

"The surface! You’ll see the surface. And soon, too! Maybe we’ll be up there before the end of the year.”

“You think so?”

"Yup!" Chara's eyes grew even wider and the tips of his smile pushed harder against his cheeks. A pinkish glow spilled over the lower parts of his face. "Oh, I just can't wait. I can't wait!"

“What are we going to do when we get up there?" Asriel wondered, absently swirling his spoon in his ramekin and watching the sugar break up and sink into the dessert. "I know that, uh, you didn’t like the people up there that much.”

“Eh, I'll let them live." If Asriel had been any less acquainted with Chara's morbid sense of humor, something he'd begun to pick up from the Royal Scientists over the past few months they'd worked together, he would have flinched. "You know, who cares about them? Not me. Hey, what about this? When we get up there, I’ll be an ambassador and make sure nobody gives monsterkind a hard time again. Ever.”

"...what about me?"

"You can be an ambassador too, if you'd like."

"No, I mean, what’s going to happen to me? Are you going to forget about...us?” 

Chara's face darkened with incredulity. A tremendous weight lifted itself from Asriel's SOUL.

“Of course not. Asriel, you’re my best friend. Ever heard the phrase ‘kindred SOULS’?”

“Someplace, I think.” That was a lie. He'd never heard of such a thing, but he wasn't about to admit that, especially with Chara looking so bright and animated as he did now.

“That’s what we are. You know, when I was on the surface, there was this story an old man told me about two friends. One of them was a prince. The other one was a hero. They were best friends. They fought battles together. They laughed together. They protected each other when things were dangerous. One day, there was a war, and the hero had to fight on the opposite side of the prince. They were very sad, they made a promise to each other that, if the other one died, they would take care of the other's legacy: their things, their reputation, their kids, things like that. That story kind of reminds me of us."

Asriel clung to each word and turned them over with the reverent, hesitant heart of a jeweler appraising a precious stone.

Two friends. One hero, one prince.

Two friends. One human, one monster.

His SOUL burned with a vagrant, sojourning sorrow that only stayed a moment and disappeared into the recesses of his mind.

Asriel did not let himself cry. His next words came out steely and strong.

"Chara, do you want to make a promise like that?" Asriel's voice was so hushed it could barely be heard over the crackling fire.

"Like what? Oh, no, I'm never going to have kids," Chara said with the teasing tone often used to lighten a heavy mood. Asriel ignored it.

"No, not like that. Do you want to make a promise...a promise that we'll stick to each other no matter what?"

Their eyes met. Chara's were noncommittal and calculative. Asriel's were wet and determined.

Chara shrugged.

Asriel hugged the human so tightly he could feel Chara's collarbone pressing into his own.

He didn't want to ever let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Closing notes from the author: I’ve been waiting such a long time to share the last scene with you. It’s the reason the fic is titled what it is; the story of Prince Jonathan and David from 1 Samuel has always broken my heart. Asriel is a sort of tragic, self-sacrificial hero in a way that always reminded me so much of Prince Jonathan.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought, and keep yourselves safe!


	18. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gaster and Chara go on an impromptu adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to take a minute to apologize for taking so long to get this very short chapter out! My writing and reading schedule has been REALLY out of whack lately, and the time I've got to work on Mephibosheth and my other fics has been cut by roughly 75%. I'll still try and get at least one chapter out a week! :D 
> 
> RecommendedVibe for the chapter: Aboard Divine Beast Vah Ruta (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMHNBb61mjc&list=TLPQMTQwNjIwMjCZzHgsd3BhVg&index=2)

The CORE was silent. 

Chara liked it best that way. 

He pressed down the waxy, purple collar of his lab coat and carefully adjusted the crown on his head. The handsome, thick leather soles of his boots thumped on the tile floor in perfect time with his heartbeat. Small rivulets of sweat trickled down the back of his neck and pooled under his coat, and he sighed as the chilly AC air cooled his scalp. 

Not another soul was here. Probably because it was Angel’s Day, or Sunday, and all the religious saps were sitting at home and praying for deliverance. Chara chuckled to himself. If they wanted a revolution, they would need to wake up and grab the winds of change with their own two hands. It was people like him, people like Dr. Gaster and Bettie and Lambdys, who worked day in and day out to force redemption from the cold, dead hands of an unresponsive god, who would bring change. They would be the ones history would forever remember, not the Angel or its followers. 

Chara swapped his keycard -- his, not one pilfered from Asgore -- across the electric pad on Gaster’s office door. The Royal Scientist had ordered the installation of new, mechanized doors for every high-level scientist working in the CORE to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of the human SOUL experiments, and they were surprisingly stylish. The aquamarine metal slid aside with a hiss, and Chara stepped inside Gaster’s refurbished office. It was a picture of perfection. A file cabinet stood in the corner, the new resting place of Gaster’s miscellaneous files, diagrams, and calculations. Scientific posters and blueprints were carefully tacked to one wall, each separated by exactly two hand-lengths. They were more for aesthetic appeal than scientific reference, but they looked nice anyway. A massive Periodic Table was hung on the opposite wall and its laminated surface was covered in red and blue markings. The Royal Scientist himself sat at his desk, which was empty save for the singular, glossy blueprint flickering under the weak lamplight. The human took a second to congratulate himself on his redecoration efforts before sidling up to Gaster. 

“Are those the diagrams?” Chara asked as he gave the blueprint a hard, grizzled stare. 

“We outsource dozens of design projects every month. You’ll need to be more specific with your question if you want a straight answer.” 

Chara grunted at Gaster’s circumlocutory manner of speech. “You know what I mean by ‘designs.’ I’m talking about the ones for the synthetic SOUL containers.”

“Yes, then. This is that.” Gaster pressed the blueprint’s curled edges down and hovered his hand over the glassy surface to block out the lamp’s glare. Chara rested his arm on the desk and peered closely at the blue sheet in front of him. The CORE’s insignia, along with the logo of the design company, were embossed in one corner. At least half a dozen different designs, varying from simple heart-shaped glass bottles to intricate webbed matrices, dotted the page. Words so small that they were essentially unreadable were scrawled underneath each diagram: possible materials, postulated functionalities, pros and cons and drawbacks and advantages. 

“This doesn’t look special. Pshh, it looks like even Asriel coulda designed some of them. Look at this glass heart one -- I think Ms. Queen Mom has a perfume bottle that looks just like it,” Chara smirked. The Royal Scientist gave his assistant a blank, unreadable stare, but said nothing more. The vacant, black look in the pits of his eyes could have communicated anything from murder to mild disinterest. It didn’t matter to Chara; he’d stopped trying to read Gaster a long time ago. All the human could do now was shrink back and hope he didn’t tread too often on his idol’s toes. 

“None of these are made of glass. It’s too delicate of a material to hold something as corrosive as a liquid, synthetic SOUL.” Gaster’s eyelights flickered back on, but they were focused on something between the blueprint and the desk beneath it. There was a vague, distant air about him that seemed to consume the whole room. “Some of these are made of specific alloys, diamonds, and others of industrial-grade plastics. There’s even a hypothetical structure made entirely of aerogel, though I cannot imagine how we would fit the bill for such a thing.” The scientist turned to Chara. “These designs are far more complex than the Prince or you could ever design. The kind of arrogance I’ve been seeing more and more often in you is concerning. You are just a laboratory assistant. Do not forget that.” 

Chara turned scarlet, whether it was from the chastisement or from the subtle undertones of concern he found himself immediately latching onto was impossible to tell. “Spare me your fatherly lectures,” Chara muttered, begrudgingly following Gaster out of his office as the scientist stood up to leave. “So, what are we doing today? Distillation? Electrolyzation? General Testing? We wouldn’t need anyone else for the last one, and I’m pretty good at running the electrolyte tests on the vitality fluid at this point. What about extraction? I know we did that only two weeks ago, but hear me out: I feel good enough t--” 

“No.” Gaster’s words dripped with ice. “I signed a contract with the King and Queen that I intend to adhere to completely. We will never extract anything from your SOUL more than once a month in a facility where your surrogate parents are not present.” Chara flushed once again. “And in regards to your first question, the head of the physics department has constructed a device that runs on Justice. I am going to use it to show you something I’ve been putting off for far too long now.” 

“Justice?” 

“You are aware that the vitality of your SOUL is a heterogeneous solution, correct?” 

“Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?” 

Gaster folded his arms behind his back, and Chara had to hurry to ensure he wasn’t outpaced by the long-legged scientist. 

“Justice is one of the constituents of your SOUL.” A soft giggle escaped Chara, and Gaster stiffened at the noise. “Don’t ask me why it’s called that -- Bettie was the one who first noticed it and she felt the need to get a little bit poetic during the naming process.” The pair’s hollow, quiet footsteps echoed down the hallways. A forgotten radio, turned down so low it was clear nobody had really been listening to it for a long time, mumbled in the lobby. The urge to ask once again where they were going burned at the tip of Chara’s tongue as they turned down a darkened corridor. Gaster had never taken him to this part of the CORE before. 

“I mean, that’s cool, but how does ‘Justice’ relate to the machine you’re taking me to see?” The walls around Chara grew slick with darkness, but Gaster made no move to flick on the light switch. Swallowing his rising discomfort, Chara absently chewed on his fingernails and focused all his attention on the slim figure in front of him. 

“It has very interesting metaphysical properties, and by using a derivative of PCR we were able to replicate vast quantities of it. Someone had the idea to use Justice as a battery acid for a transportation machine -- it’s a fantastic conductor of electricity and also has a frighteningly low pH, so the notion was understandable -- and ended up altering the functionality of the aforementioned machine. It’s the most fascinating thing.” 

“What does it do?” 

“You’ll see.” The scientist stopped moving and halted in front of what looked like a door. It was impossible to tell in the darkness, and the pathetic glow of the authentication keypad did little to help. “I need you to close your eyes.” 

“Close my eyes? What’s going on? Is this supposed to be some sort of surprise?” 

“Do as I say and you might keep your retinas.” 

Chara rolled his eyes, and, in a sudden rush of obstinacy, kept his eyes trained on Gaster’s slim, backlighted form. The telltale ping of a recognized keycard and the familiar swish of automatic doors were the last things Chara processed before his vision flared and failed. He heard himself scream and heard his body slap onto the floor. It was bright, it was so so bright, it was so bright that the whole world was yellow and black and white and red and red and oh gosh he couldn’t see anything anymore  **he was blind he was blind he wa** \-- 

“Perhaps you would have been a better actor than scientist,” Gaster cooly commented. 

“Shut up! You blinded me! You did it on purpose! I can’t see -- I can’t see, and it’s all your fault!” 

“Please, that’s enough theatrics. Your sight will be back in a few minutes.” The even tap of Gaster’s feet receded into the hallway. 

“Where are you going! Wait! Gaster! I can’t see!” 

“Count to one hundred. I’ll be back before then, and so will your vision.” 

The air felt cold and stale to Chara’s lungs. The blood pulsating behind his gums cooled rapidly in contact with the frigid air and sent sparks of pain up to his brain. Oh, Angel have mercy. He counted slowly, rocking himself from the balls of his heels to the hams of his rear as he did. Slowly the corners of his vision came back, and the void was replaced with a dark, eerie green. Light shone from behind him, and he could hear Gaster approaching from behind. 

“Get up and turn around.” 

Chara did as instructed, and the last vestiges of shock and fear dissipated from his bloodstream. In front of him stood a massive, star-shaped contraption that poured cascades of canary-yellow light onto the floor. 

“What  _ is  _ that?” 

Gaster gave Chara a smug look. “A warp machine. Of course, it has a more elaborate, professional name, but I’ll keep things simple for your sake.” The human barely registered the sarcastic quip and reverently took a step forward. His fingernails reflected the bright, yellow light and his eyelashes turned golden. 

“What does it do?” 

“You’ll see.” There was the faint sound of shuffling, and Chara felt something small and moist being pressed into his hand. Justifiably confused, Chara looked down at the item Gaster was trying to pawn off to him. It was...an apple slice? 

“..?” 

“Hold this. You’ll see why in just a moment. Take note that the apple’s flesh hasn’t oxidized yet.” With a grandiose flourish, Gaster pulled open the door of the Warp Machine and ushered Chara inside. The machine thrummed and shook, doing its best to knock the scientist and his assistant off their feet, and pinged happily when Gaster pressed his keycard to the control panel. 

And they blinked out of existence. 

Chara’s mind was silent as his consciousness hurled through the void. There were glimpses of thoughts, fragments of mental narration, but it never amounted to anything cohesive. He was alive but not living. At first he struggled to keep his mind awake, to keep himself chatting and thinking and ruminating to himself, but the desire slipped away. He felt nothing, saw nothing, was nothing, and found no qualms with his new state of being. 

He was a little disappointed when reality recreated itself around him, even more so when he felt the cool, icy draft wafting between the Warp Machine’s metal sides. Gaster picked himself up off the machine’s floor (both of them had found themselves face-down and bottoms up when they’d regained consciousness) and opened the door. In front of them, a brilliant, virgin sheet of snow stretched as far as the eye could see. 

Chara looked down at the apple in his hand. The once-white flesh was mottled and yellow: in the few seconds that the machine had been bending and twisting the fabric of reality, the apple slice had oxidized. 

“What happened?” Chara questioned. Apple juice clung to the small dips and grooves in his fingers and grew sticky in the cool, snowy air. 

“First of all, do you know where we are?” 

Dark eyes looked up from the yellow apple slice to the winter wonderland outside. Chara got to his feet and hopped out of the machine, fitting his feet into the snowy footprints Gaster left behind. 

“Snowdin.” 

“That’s correct. Now, do you know what we just did?” 

“We teleported?” 

“Not exactly. Look at the apple in your hand,” Gaster’s voice was hard and crisp, void of any of its earlier warmth. Perhaps the chilly, indifferent air around them had settled into the Royal Scientists’ hollow bones. 

“What kind of game is this? The apple isn’t going to give me the answer. It oxidized, great, cool, what is that supposed to mean?” Chara stifled the urge to toss the little scrap of fruit into the snow. Wet slush snuck through the space between his boot’s sole and heel, and his socks grew damp. Not conducive to an amicable attitude, that was for sure. The human picked at the yellowed flesh and let little bits of it settle into the snow. His eyes slowly crept up into his hairline as he thought. “Wait...this is...it takes time for the apple to turn yellow. Did the machine just take us from the CORE to Snowdin and knock us out in the meantime?” 

The faintest, vaguest ghost of a smile flitted across Gaster’s face. 

“Something along those lines. The Warp Machine, with the help of the Justice in its battery, was able to manipulate both space and time. Only to a very, very small extent, of course, but it essentially enabled the machine to teleport us to Snowdin. In a roundabout way, however. It wasn’t instantaneous. I’d say about ten or so minutes have passed, judging only by how yellowed the apple is. Perhaps there are other constituents of your SOUL that would be more conducive to things such as time-travel and teleportation, but I believe Justice is more than suited for the experiments and machine’s we’ve set up so far.” 

Snow collected on Chara’s lashes. His breath came out in short, awed little puffs. 

He’d done that.

His SOUL. His SOUL had made these things possible. 

“Now,” Gaster began, the mirth and admiration gone from his voice, “there is something I must show you. I’ve put this off for far too long.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Got any questions or thoughts? Don't feel shy to leave 'em down below. :D I'll respond as soon as I'm able!


End file.
